Travels with The First Lady: Africa

♪♪(music playing)♪♪
Narrator: Welcome on board with First Lady of the United States,
Michelle Obama.
The First Lady traveled to Pretoria,
Johannesburg and Capetown, South Africa and Gaborone,
Botswana for an official visit.
During the trip, promoting youth leadership,
education and health, Mrs. Obama delivered the keynote address to
a U.S.-sponsored young African women leaders forum held in
South Africa with 76 women from 25 African countries,
met with inspirational leaders Nelson Mandela and Archbishop
Desmond Tutu, joined forum participants at service
projects, and spoke with secondary school students at the
University of Capetown.
The First Lady also showed her soccer skills at a youth soccer
clinic, dropped by roundtable discussions with young women
leaders, and donated over 200 books to a local child care
center on behalf of the United States.
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On Tuesday, after arriving in South Africa,
the First Lady began her trip by traveling to Pretoria,
the capital of South Africa, and the home of Don Gipps,
the United States Ambassador to South Africa.
Here, she met with South African leaders, embassy staff,
and BuscaPè, a ten member string band from Soweto which included
a number of young people.
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Before departing, the First Lady briefly spoke with embassy staff
about their importance as United States representatives overseas.
First Lady Michelle Obama: The real diplomacy that really changes things around the world
doesn't happen with Presidents and Prime Ministers.
The real hard work happens with the work that you do every day.
Narrator: The First Lady then traveled to the official residence of the
President of South Africa for a meeting with South African First
Lady, Ntuli Zuma.
Inside the Dutch cape style home,
the two discussed the important friendship between their two
countries and the signature issue of her official visit,
encouraging young people to take on leadership roles and become
the next generation of problem solvers.
Later, the First Lady left Pretoria for Johannesburg and
visited the Mandela Foundation where she met with Graça Machel,
former First Lady of Mozambique and the wife of Nelson Mandela.
Here she was given a book of Mandela quotations from the
foundation and viewed the artifacts that are physical
reminders of his life's work against Apartheide and creating
a democratic South Africa.
First Lady Michelle Obama: Listen, because you're going to be tested on this.
(laughter)
Narrator: Afterwards, the First Lady made the short trip through the
streets of Howell, a neighborhood in Johannesburg,
to the home of Nelson Mandela for a meeting with the
former President.
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Following her historic meeting with Mr. Mandela,
the First Lady visited with school children at a local
community center in Zandspruit Townhsip.
At the center, the First Family listened to songs of welcome and
donated over 200 books to the central library,
including "The Cat in the Hat," which the First Family
read aloud.
Malia Obama: And then, who was back in the house?
Why, the cat.
First Lady Michelle Obama: "Have no fear of this mess," said the Cat in the Hat.
Narrator: The First Lady ended the first day of her trip at the Apartheid
Museum in Johannesburg where she met with the Forum's 76
participants ahead of their activities scheduled for the
following day.
First Lady Michelle Obama: I am just humbled and proud and moved.
And hugs to all of you.
(laughter)
I want my girls to be like you.
They're here, so they have to see you all.
They have to understand what hard work and beauty and
strength looks like.
Cool?
Audience: Cool!
(applause)
(cross-talk)
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Narrator: On Wednesday, June 22nd, the First Lady made her first of
several stops in Soweto at Regina Munde Church,
the largest Roman Catholic Church in South Africa and the
site of refuge for anti-Apartheid demonstrators
during the Soweto uprising of 1976,
and known to this day as the People's Church.
On this day, the First Lady gave the keynote address to over
2,000 people in attendance where she challenged young people to
pick up the mantle of leadership and help tackle the world's
chair challenges.
First Lady Michelle Obama: But I am here today because when it comes to the challenges we
face, we simply don't have time to sit back and wait.
I'm here because I believe that each of you is ready,
right here and right now, to start meeting these challenges.
And I am here because I know that true leadership often
happens with the smallest acts in the most unexpected places by
the most unlikely individuals.
Narrator: Following her remarks, the First Lady made a stop at another
historic site in Soweto, the Hector Pieterson Memorial
and Museum.
Here, she was joined by Antoinette Sithole,
the sister of Hector Pieterson, in a wreath laying ceremony
paying her respects to the young boy who was among the first of
many who died at the hands of Apartheid-era police during the
June 16, 1976 student uprisings.
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Later, the First Lady stopped by Rosa Parks Library to engage in
forum roundtable discussions and provided some words of wisdom
to participants.
First Lady Michelle Obama: The only thing that happens in an instant is destruction,
when you think about it.
Earthquake -- here, you build something and it -- earth --
gone, forget you, you know?
But everything else requires time.
Raising children, building a family, having a career.
All of it is time.
I want you all to continue to work fiercely and to be
impatient but don't let the struggle discourage you because
it's hard and it's supposed to be hard.
If it were easy, we wouldn't have anything to do.
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Narrator: After the roundtables, the First Lady traveled to a Soweto
community center supporting children and families affected
by HIV/AIDS.
The First Lady helped harvest carrots and plant spinach in the
center's garden and met with additional foreign participants
who were doing service acts such as painting a mural on the
library structure and leading arts and crafts demonstrations
for children.
Speaker: We live in a community that has really low income and very
high income.
And what we're trying to do is to create -- at-risk poverty --
create jobs and give the community that can afford to
buy, get them to buy from those who are producing locally so
that it becomes like --
First Lady Michelle Obama: Absolutely.
Speaker: A virtual cycle, yeah.
First Lady Michelle Obama: Well, everyone's trying to get back to the basics in that
way, you know?
Speaker: Yeah!
Narrator: Later, the First Lady boarded the Air Force plane Brightstar,
and headed to Capetown, South Africa.
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On Thursday, June 23rd, the First Lady traveled to the
University of Capetown, the oldest university in South
Africa, to join with local secondary school students in a
question and answer discussion on education and leadership.
First Lady Michelle Obama: I can see the same promise in all of you as I do in
my own girls.
That's what keeps me motivated.
When I see you, I see them.
When I see them, I see you.
And I see it in the students that I've met all across my
country in America and in all of the young men and women I see as
I travel around the world.
Narrator: Before the youth event, the First Lady stopped by a local
restaurant, The Kitchen, where the First Family was greeted by
owner Karen Dudley and sat down for a lunch at the eatery
offering healthy salads and made-to-order sandwiches.
The day culminated at Capetown Stadium,
site of the 2010 soccer World Cup.
Before participating in soccer activities that also educated
kids about HIV/AIDS, the First Lady joined Archbishop Desmond
Tutu and spoke to local youth from area townships about the
importance of a healthy, active lifestyle and how they can help
stem the tide of HIV/AIDS.
First Lady Michelle Obama: The solution lies with all of you.
Because if you all figure this out and you're able to talk
about these issues and you're able to ask for help and you're
able to pass on good information to make even your parents and
your friends and your community and those younger than you --
that's how we fix this problem.
Narrator: Before the soccer event began, the First Lady was briefed on
several programs providing HIV/AIDS education, prevention,
and support.
The briefing also included the discussion on how grassroots
organizations use soccer as a convenient mechanism to draw
young people together to learn about making healthy choices.
On Friday, the First Lady left Capetown for the final leg of
her trip, Botswana.
The weather, which had been overcast with a mix of rain the
day before, opened up to reveal a double rainbow as the First
Lady took off.
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Arriving in Botswana, the First Lady was greeted by children
waving American and Botswanian flags,
as well as a traditional African dance performed to the song
"Obama Ye-Le-Ye-Le."
♪(singing)♪
The first stop in Botswana for the First Lady was the Baylor
Center, a U.S. Botswanian sponsored health center
supporting children and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
Here, the First Lady met with center leaders,
Peace Corps volunteers, and participated in a service
project helping teens finish painting a mural on the wall of
a future youth center.
First Lady Michelle Obama: This looks complicated.
Is it hard?
Student: It's actually easy.
First Lady Michelle Obama: Is it easy?
Narrator: Later, the First Lady held a lunch for Botswanian girls who
are excelling in schools and their families.
She was joined by newly appointed Ambassador to
Botswana, Michelle Gavin, in leading women from the country.
First Lady Michelle Obama: And today, I'm reminded that here in Botswana,
you have a proverb that says, we are people because of
other people.
In other words, all of our journeys are shaped in part by
people in our lives who love us, who believe in us,
and who invest in us.
Narrator: Later, the First Lady met with Botswana President Ian Khama in
downtown, Gaborone, the capital of the country.
Before departing Botswana for her return trip to the United
States, the First Lady held her last event, a meeting with U.S.
embassy workers and their families at the home of
Ambassador Gavin.
First Lady Michelle Obama: Can you dream big dreams?
That means do big things.
Exclamation point!
(cross-talk)
♪♪(music playing)♪♪
Keep it up, okay?
My visit is all about young people, so --
Student: Let's move!
(laughter)
First Lady Michelle Obama: Ah, did you hear that?
Let's move!
He's paying attention, reading the clips.
(laughter)