America.gov (Washington, DC)
11 July 2009
U.S. president says former holding area for slaves also offers hope
(begin transcript)
THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
July 11, 2009
REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT AT CAPE COAST CASTLE
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast, Ghana
3:57 P.M. GMT
THE PRESIDENT: Michelle, the children, as well as other members of my family, just got an extraordinary tour of this castle. It is reminiscent of the trip I took to Buchenwald because it reminds us of the capacity of human beings to commit great evil. One of the most striking things that I heard was that right above the dungeons in which male captives were kept was a church, and that reminds us that sometimes we can tolerate and stand by great evil even as we think that we're doing good.
You know, I think it was particularly important for Malia and Sasha, who are growing up in such a blessed way, to be reminded that history can take very cruel turns, and hopefully one of the things that was imparted to them during this trip is their sense of obligation to fight oppression and cruelty wherever it appears, and that any group of people who are degrading another group of people have to be fought against with whatever tools we have available to us.
So obviously it's a moving experience, a moving moment. We want to thank those who arranged for the tour and the people of Ghana for preserving this history. As painful as it is, I think that it helps to teach all of us that we have to do what we can to fight against the kinds of evils that, sadly, still exist in our world, not just on this continent but in every corner of the globe.
And I think, as Americans, and as African Americans, obviously there's a special sense that on the one hand this place was a place of profound sadness; on the other hand, it is here where the journey of much of the African American experience began. And symbolically, to be able to come back with my family, with Michelle and our children, and see the portal through which the diaspora began, but also to be able to come back here in celebration with the people of Ghana of the extraordinary progress that we've made because of the courage of so many, black and white, to abolish slavery and ultimately win civil rights for all people, I think is a source of hope. It reminds us that as bad as history can be, it's also possible to overcome.
Thanks, everybody.
END 4:00 P.M. GMT
(end transcript)
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All African-Americans???
All might b well but will Genetically Modified food be an eventual problem for those who cannot afford to buy It?
I think this is another Michael Jackson act; that when MJ became successful - read accepted by the mainstream white community - he run away from his identity and seemed to be embarassed by his black African roots. Likewise Obama seems to be embarrassed by his African roots especially now how he is just going to make an inconvenient stop-over at Accra, Ghana after meeting and commensirating with the more important white European Superpower Russia.
Might as well stay away from Africa. It is a familiar movie: An African-American Embarassed with Non-European African Roots.
You are talking a lot of nonsense. What do you mean he is turning into another MJ? For your information Ghana is one of the very few countries in Africa that has a decent gov't and elected in a proper democratic way. Where do you want him to go first, like Ethiopia, who has one of the most tyrant prime ministers who is butchering people every day like most of the others. Good on you Barak, please give Ghana all the support it needs.
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