Obama recounts his African roots: Politico

via Politico, AP photo

Quoted via Politico:

In a historic first trip to sub-Saharan Africa, President Barack Obama spoke of having the "blood of Africa" in his veins and called for a new U.S. partnership with the continent — but also made clear there was a need for "mutual responsibility" on the part of African leaders to move away from corruption and repression.

Mixing vignettes from his own family history with a call for renewed U.S. attention to Africa, Obama issued a stern lecture to African leaders still mired in the past — saying the United States had "a responsibility to support those who act responsibly and to isolate those who don't."

"I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world – as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children," Obama said, but added, "That must be grounded in mutual responsibility. . .We must start from the simple premise that Africa's future is up to Africans." more