President Obama: Week in Africa

This week, the U.S. First Family came to Africa, for a three country, four stop visit that started in Dakar, Senegal and ended in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania with stops in Johannesburg and Cape Town, South Africa sandwiched in between.

There were drums and dancing, crowds and ceremonial pomp and circumstance, meetings, forums, summits and town halls, and moving trips to both Goree and Robben Islands.

Thursday, June 27th

• The President traveled to Dakar, Senegal to meet the President of Senegal Macky Sall for bilateral meetings and a press conference.
• The First Lady joined the First Lady of Senegal, Marieme Sall, to kick off the first of several events focused on education and youth leadership at an all-girls middle school.
• Then, the President and First Lady boarded a ferry to Goree Island, which was a center point in the Atlantic Slave Trade for nearly 300 years.

Friday, June 28th

• The President toured a Food Security Summit in Dakar for some 21st century lessons in agriculture.

Saturday, June 29th

• The President and First Lady traveled to South Africa, where the President met with President Zuma and then held the Young African Leaders Initiative Town Hall.
• The First Lady participated in the Connecting Continents Google+ Hangout, focused on the importance of education, with students from the U.S. and South Africa.

Sunday, June 30th

• The First Family traveled to Robben Island, which is just off the coast of Cape Town, to visit a former maximum-security prison, which once housed Nelson Mandela.
• Then, the President visited the Desmond Tutu HIV Foundation Youth Centre.

Monday, July 1st

• The President and First Lady traveled to Tanzania to meet with their heads of state.

Tuesday, July 2nd

• The First Lady joined seven current African First Ladies and former First Lady Laura Bush for the First Ladies Summit.
• Then, the President held a wreath laying ceremony at the US Embassy with the victims of the embassy bombing and their families, joined by former President George W. Bush.
• Later, the President visited the Ubongo Power Plant, where he spoke about his new Power Africa announcement.