Obama Arrives in Ghana

By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Jul 10, 2009 9:12 PM CDT
Obama Arrives in Ghana
Women wearing tee-shirts showing U.S. President Barack Obama and Ghana President John Atta Mills dance and sing before Obama's arrival in Accra, Ghana Friday, July 10, 2009.   (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Thousands of thrilled Ghanaians greeted President Obama today on his first trip to sub-Saharan Africa since winning the presidency. Obama, Michelle, and their daughters met President John Atta Mills at the airport in Accra as traditional dancers performed under welcoming banners. Many Ghanaians see Obama's trip more as a homecoming than an official visit, the Times of London reports.

“Ghana is the birthplace of Africa—he is the first black President, we are part of him," said a caterer outside Cape Castle, a former slave port that the Obamas plan to visit. Obama will also speak on the importance of good governance and attend a ceremony where Michelle Obama will be named Queen of the Cape Coast. Local chiefs are discussing whether to give Obama a title as well. "There is a feeling that he is doing fine as it is,” said one.
(More Barack Obama stories.)

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