Free Republic

Text of President Barack Obama's speech Saturday in Accra, Ghana, as prepared for delivery and provided by the White House: Good morning. It is an honor for me to be in Accra, and to speak to the representatives of the people of Ghana. I am deeply grateful for the welcome that I've received, as are Michelle, Malia and Sasha Obama. Ghana's history is rich, the ties between our two countries are strong, and I am proud that this is my first visit to sub-Saharan Africa as President of the United States. I am speaking to you at the end of...

The son of a white woman from Kansas and a black goat herder-turned-academic from Kenya, Obama delivered an unsentimental account of squandered opportunities in postcolonial Africa. America's first black president spoke with a bluntness that perhaps could only come from a member of Africa's extended family. "No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or police can be bought off by drug traffickers," he said. "No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No...

An American president who has 'the blood of Africa within me' praised and scolded the continent of his ancestors today. Barack Obama asserted that forces of tyranny and corruption must yield if Africa is to achieve its promise. 'Yes you can,' President Obama declared, dusting off his campaign slogan and adapting it for his foreign audience. Speaking to the Ghanaian Parliament, he called upon African societies to seize opportunities for peace, democracy and prosperity. 'This is a new moment of great promise,' he said. 'To realize that promise, we must first recognize a fundamental truth that you have given life...