Obama's Brief Visit to Ghana

Blink and you might miss it. President Obama is billing his brief stop-over in Ghana as more than a quick appearance on a political tour—it will be a visit to a continent he says he regards in “very personal terms.” "I have family members who live in villages...where hunger is real," said Obama, shortly before arriving in Ghana on Friday. He’ll stay for fewer than 24 hours, the Los Angeles Times reports, and will give a speech in the small setting of the country’s Parliament—a departure from President Clinton's massive outdoor appearances when visiting Africa. The Obama family will then take a trip to a slave depot, followed by an invitation-only departure ceremony. The president's brief and subdued itinerary suggests to some that he is walking a careful political line and doesn't want to alienate white voters by focusing too much on Africa. Though President Bush broke into tribal dance and President Clinton wore a traditional robe while on diplomatic visits to the continent, when Obama donned a turban during a visit to Kenya in 2005, the image fed false rumors that he was Muslim.