MICHELLE OBAMA ON A MISSION: IMPACT AFRICA (TV)
Summary
This televised special features First Lady Michelle Obama and her trip to Africa with her mother, two daughters and nieces. Correspondent Lola Ogunnaike follows the First Family on their whirlwind trip, which starts in Johannesburg, South Africa, known for its complex history of apartheid, which ended in 1994 with Nelson Mandela's appointment as president. The family enjoys a private meeting with Mandela, now in his nineties, and Sasha and Malia take time to read to some local schoolchildren before visiting the Apartheid Museum. Next, they head to the township of Soweto, where Mrs. Obama speaks to a group of young women at the Regina Mundi church, admitting afterwards that she worked hard to "be in the moment" and contain her emotions during the talk. Ogunnaike notes that the Obamas' trip is being eagerly followed by Twitter users all around the world, and Mrs. Obama next addresses students at the University of Cape Town, assuring them that they will have access to good educations despite their poverty, reflecting on her own humble background and the kids' similarities to her own children.
The family next prepares to visit Robben Island, location of the prison-turned-museum where Mandela was held for most of his twenty-seven-year sentence, though bad weather at sea prevents them from making the crossing. They next meet with Archbishop Desmond Tutu before heading to Gaborone, Botswana, where the Obamas work on a large mural addressing the high rate of HIV/AIDS in the country. At a luncheon for young women and their mentors, Mrs. Obama meets with a young engineering student who gushes that meeting the First Lady gave her a new sense of personal importance. Mrs. Obama then tells Ogunnaike about her life "in the limelight" and her attempts to use her visibility for good, and she briefly comments on her role in her husband's upcoming second campaign for the 2012 Presidential election. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: BET
- DATE: November 30, 1999 7:30 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:20:40
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: 122190
- GENRE: Education/Information
- SUBJECT HEADING: African-American Collection - News/Talk; Education/Information; Africa
- SERIES RUN: BET - TV, 2011
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- James F. Blue III … Executive Producer
- Dan Morris … Producer
- Alex Footman … Associate Producer
- Jeni Fujita … Narrator
- Lola Ogunnaike … Reporter
- Michelle Obama … Interviewee
- Nelson Mandela
- Barack Obama
- Malia Obama
- Sasha Obama
- Desmond Tutu