Global Voices

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The world is talking, are you listening?

US President Barack Obama addresses the Ghanaian Parliament in Accra (Official Photo)

President Barack Obama's first official visit to Sub-Saharan Africa in July 2009 sparked conversations across African blogospheres and online discussion forums. On July 11, he delivered a speech in the parliament of Ghana that was widely commented.

Global Voices bloggers have highlighted some of the chatter as well as deeper reflections and disappointments over US-African relations. Obama's African heritage, as the son of a Kenyan, is often the prism through which his remarks were judged.

Global Voices posts about Obama in Ghana

Jul 13 - Congo: Obama's Ghana Speech Underwhelms
Jul 13 - Cameroon: Bloggers Discuss Obama's Ghana Speech
Jul 12 - Ghana: Bloggers React to Obama's Speech
Jul 10 - Africa: Obama uses new media to talk to Africans
Jun 05 - Ghana: Speculation, excitement and hopes over Obama's visit
June 15 - Ghana: Hope and candour float in Ghana following Obama's visit
June 15 - Ghana: Global discussion of Obama's visit to Ghana

Other resources

The full text of Obama's speech in Ghana (or audio).

Swahili version of Obama's speech in Ghana.

AllAfrica.com interviewed the president at the White House before the trip.

For part 2 of the video, click here.

The White House made special efforts to communicate with citizens of Africa throughout the president's visit via SMS, radio, webcast and web chat.

Rafiki Kenya writes about questions from Africans for Barack Obama: “In the meantime, the White House has shared an interactive map… There are pertinent questions about the ever-present vice of corruption.”

A U.S. government blog, on America.gov called By the People also highlighted comments in African blogs before and after the president's visit to Ghana.

Other Global Voices posts from Africa