Obama to host Africa independence celebration

Monday, 28 June 2010

President Barack Obama, whose father was Kenyan, will host a 50th anniversary celebration of 18 African nations' independence in Washington this summer, senior U.S. officials said on Friday.

U.S. President Barack Obama at the G20 Summit in Toronto

"It will not just mark the 50th anniversary of independence but will really look forward and invite young leaders from each of those countries to discuss the future as well," one official said. The event will be held in early August.

Obama's father studied in the United States and returned to work in his post-independence homeland. But he died disappointed with how little freedom from colonial rule had delivered, according to the younger Obama's own account.

The son told a G8 summit that "50 years later we want to make sure we get this on track", and emphasized how development must be based on evidence and data to determine which methods yielded results and which ones should be dropped, the officials said.

Reuters