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President Obama:
Harabi ya jioni.
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(applause)
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President Kenyatta, the
lovely Madame First Lady --
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(applause)
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-- distinguished guests,
ladies and gentlemen: I want
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to once again just express
my deepest gratitude to you
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and the Kenyan people for
the incredible hospitality
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you have shown to me and my
delegation, including the
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members of Congress who are
here today and are doing
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outstanding work.
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In my visits here as a
younger man, I could have
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never imagined the
outpouring of friendship
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that I feel today.
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And so I feel, like my
given African name,
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to be truly blessed.
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(applause)
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The presence of the members
of Congress who are here
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today, I think it describes
and expresses the deep
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support for a strong
partnership with Africa
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and with Kenya.
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We were able to get
the AGOA bill passed.
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And those of you who know
American politics -- there
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aren't too many things where
Republicans and Democrats
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agree these days.
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(laughter)
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But expanding trade and
investment, and deepening
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our relationship with Africa
is something that garnered
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bipartisan support.
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(applause)
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And it's an
indication of how the
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American people feel.
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Part of what makes this a
special evening for me is
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the presence of my family
members who are here.
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My grandmother, Mama Sarah,
who told me I had to come
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back to Kenya.
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And when she says you should
do something, generally you
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have to do it.
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(laughter)
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I've told this story before
-- the first time that I
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visited Kogelo, Auma and I
and my brothers were there.
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Mama Sarah speaks Swahili
and Luo, and I speak neither
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-- (laughter)
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-- and so Auma was
serving as a translator.
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And I think about a half
a day had passed before
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suddenly she turns to
Auma and says something.
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And Auma starts laughing,
and I say, what did she say?
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She says, he goes to
Harvard; if he's so smart,
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how come he can't talk
to his grandmother?
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(laughter)
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Which was a good point.
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My siblings are
here, aunts, uncles.
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And so, tonight, I welcome
all of them to a somewhat
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unusual Obama
family reunion.
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(applause)
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I suspect that some of
my critics back home are
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suggesting that I'm
back here to look for
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my birth certificate.
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(laughter and applause)
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That is not the case.
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(laughter)
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But what is true is, is that
obviously there are emotions
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to a visit like this.
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Memories come rushing back.
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When I was in college, and
my father was here, I wrote
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him a letter telling
him of my hope to visit.
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And he wrote me back, and he
said, "Dear Son, even if it
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is only for a few days, the
important thing is that you
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know your people."
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Now, he died in an
accident before I was
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able to make that trip.
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But in fact, when I came,
I did get to know them,
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the people of Kenya.
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And although once again I'm
here only for a few days,
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I remain grateful for
that relationship.
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I've seen the resolve and
the determination to pull
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together, under a new
constitution, as one people.
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I've seen your dynamism, as
you've built the largest
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economy in East Africa.
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And I've seen the
resilience, as in the recent
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reopening of the Westgate
Mall, which shows that the
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spirit of the Kenyan
people cannot be broken.
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(applause)
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And I've seen it in the
friendship between our
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peoples, particularly
our young people.
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As many of you know, our
Mandela Fellows program
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invites promising African
youth to the United States
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so they can develop skills
and training, and forge
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relationships as future
leaders here in Africa.
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And we learn from
them, as well.
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And it's one of the most
important ways that we
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invest in Africa's future.
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It's something I'm very
passionate about, personally.
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In fact, at this very
moment, as part of this
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program, there are 40 young
Kenyans across the United
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States living and working
and learning, but also
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sharing their Kenyan culture
with their American hosts.
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Americans are
learning Swahili.
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They're eating
chapatti --
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(laughter)
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-- and they're listening
to Kenyan music.
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In California, they've
been dancing to Sura Yako.
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(applause)
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So here tonight, and
across the United States,
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Kenyans and Americans
are coming together.
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We're understanding
each other better.
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We're finding new
ways to partner.
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And I believe that if we
can build on what we've
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accomplished on this visit,
then we can achieve even
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more in the years to come
-- for our people, for our
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beautiful lands, for
our freedom, for peace.
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I was reflecting on what
President Kenyatta said
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about the past and history.
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And our fathers were people
who lived at the same time,
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and went through
independence of this country
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at the same time, and took
different paths, obviously.
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My father was
significantly younger.
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And it's true that it would
have been hard for them to
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imagine how their sons might
be sitting here today.
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(applause)
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But there's an expression
that says we plant a tree
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not because we will enjoy
its shape, but because our
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children and
grandchildren will.
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(applause)
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And so I'd like to propose
a toast not only to this
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generation of Kenyans and
Africans, not only to future
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generations of Kenyans and
Africans and Americans, but
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also to our forefathers and
our foremothers who laid the
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groundwork, who planted the
seed so that we could enjoy
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a little bit of shape.
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To the people of Kenya
and to the people of the
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United States of America,
munga abariki Kenya.
