Translated material
Obama saw Ghana as a model
Observers were perplexed why the president chose this country for his first visit to Africa, and not oil-rich Nigeria or Kenya, where his father was from. But for Obama, “the activities of the Ghanaian authorities to establish a democratic order” turned out to be more important. John Atta Mills, who won the presidential election in January 2009, was less than one percent ahead of his competitor, but this did not become a reason for scandals and protests. For Africa, such a triumph of democracy is all the more rare, which allowed Barack Obama to say: “Ghana could become a model of successful development for the rest of the continent.”
He was particularly impressed by his visit to Cape Coast Castle, where black slaves were held in colonial times before being sent to America. At the castle, Obama was led to the “door of no return” through which slaves were taken out to be loaded onto ships. “I have special feelings because, on the one hand, this place is imbued with deep bitterness, but on the other, this is where the history of most African Americans began,” the president said. Obama was seen off to the rhythmic beat of drums and dances of local peoples. Several thousand people gathered at Accra airport to wave goodbye to America's first black leader.