Michelle O. Campaigning With Mandela?
Published in Le Figaro
(France) on 22 June 2011
by Véronique Saint-Geours (link to original)
(France) on 22 June 2011
by Véronique Saint-Geours (link to original)
Translated from
by Drue Fergison.
Edited by Heidi Kaufmann.
The summit meeting between the first black American first lady and the mythical hero of the fight against apartheid in South Africa, Nelson Mandela, is not your everyday snapshot. Its interpretation as being only for electoral ends would be an inaccurate and reductive view of this event — even if black voters in 2012 should not forget it.
At 92, Nelson Mandela, the founding father of South Africa without apartheid, wished to see Michelle Obama, her daughters and her mother. The group was visiting the Mandela Foundation and knew that no reception had been planned by the very tired president. He suffers from very serious respiratory problems and limits any chance of fatigue. So it was a nice surprise and a cheerful Mandela who received Michelle.
In this intimate photo, the first lady shows a lot of respect and consideration for the man Mandela, who poses with his latest book — "Nelson Mandela By Himself" — and is going to autograph it for her. Also, it is a great satisfaction for this African-American woman, who describes herself as descending from slaves and returning to the continent of her roots.
Michelle Obama — and Nelson Mandela wanted to mark the occasion — is an activist deeply committed to community integration and to black students returning to their communities of origin. Since 2009, she has visited their universities — for example, in Merced, California — to share her vision of solidarity with them. She is also fighting against obesity — the “Let’s Move” campaign — which affects black children 30 percent more than others and black women 60 percent more. It is this dimension of stateswoman, among others, that Nelson Mandela saluted.
At 92, Nelson Mandela, the founding father of South Africa without apartheid, wished to see Michelle Obama, her daughters and her mother. The group was visiting the Mandela Foundation and knew that no reception had been planned by the very tired president. He suffers from very serious respiratory problems and limits any chance of fatigue. So it was a nice surprise and a cheerful Mandela who received Michelle.
In this intimate photo, the first lady shows a lot of respect and consideration for the man Mandela, who poses with his latest book — "Nelson Mandela By Himself" — and is going to autograph it for her. Also, it is a great satisfaction for this African-American woman, who describes herself as descending from slaves and returning to the continent of her roots.
Michelle Obama — and Nelson Mandela wanted to mark the occasion — is an activist deeply committed to community integration and to black students returning to their communities of origin. Since 2009, she has visited their universities — for example, in Merced, California — to share her vision of solidarity with them. She is also fighting against obesity — the “Let’s Move” campaign — which affects black children 30 percent more than others and black women 60 percent more. It is this dimension of stateswoman, among others, that Nelson Mandela saluted.