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A view of the guests (Photo: Yacouba Soro/US Embassy)

Hundreds of Ivorians Watched President Obama’s Speech Live in Abidjan

July 11, 2009 marked a great and historic date for Côte d’Ivoire when the U.S. embassy invited hundreds of Ivorians to watch and share their views on President Obama’s speech at the Parliament in Ghana. The program was organized by the Public Affairs Section of the embassy in conjunction with American Corner.

The American Corner was parked to its capacity, as many guests turned out to view the speech. Though many guests could not have seat, they were happy to be invited to watch President Obama’s first speech in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Each participant received brochures and articles culled from american.gov (the web site of the Department of State) on the presidential visit and American policy in Africa. After Mrs. Etta Toure, the Deputy Director of the Public Affairs Section’s welcomed the guests, she was joined by Mr. Kendall Moss, Head of the Economic Section at the U.S. Embassy, and both spoke about the importance of President Obama’s visit to Ghana.

This was followed by a short projection of President Obama’s bio while waiting for the speech to start in Accra. At 13:30 GMT, President Obama appeared on stage amidst applause from the Ghanaian MPs and the crowd in the huge conference room. As a special national band blew trumpets, President Obama responded: “I like this.  Thank you.  Thank you.” He went on to say: “21st century will be shaped by what happens in Accra as well,” and added: “Africa’s future is up to Africans.”

President Obama’s speech was followed by a debate among Ivorians who shared their views on the American president’s message for Africa.