The first lady meets with 76 young female leaders committed to helping women shape their countries' future.
By Eric Ditzian, with reporting by Lola Ogunnaike
First Lady Michelle Obama, along with daughters Sasha and Malia, reads "The Cat In The Hat" to children in Johannesburg, South Africa
Photo: White House Photo by Samantha Appleton
All this week, first lady Michelle Obama has been touring Africa with her mother and daughters as part of her ongoing work to engage and empower young people at home and abroad. Journalist Lola Ogunnaike has been covering the entire trip for BET as part of an upcoming special, "Impact on Africa: On a Mission With the First Lady." On Wednesday evening, Ogunnaike called up MTV News to give us insight and exclusive information about the experience. These are her words.
I have to say, first lady Michelle Obama has the energy of a Duracell bunny. She's been running since she touched down in South Africa. We've been to the Regina Mundi church, which is the largest Catholic church in all of South Africa. We've been to the Nelson Mandela Foundation. She laid a wreath at the Hector Peterson Museum. Hector Peterson was the first person to be killed at the 1976 Soweto uprising in South Africa. She visited the first lady of South Africa. She's gone to the U.S. Embassy. She went to a community garden and the Rosa Parks library. She danced and played with preschoolers and read them "Cat in the Hat."
It's just been a whirlwind. And everywhere we've gone, people have been chanting her name. The kids have been singing, "Mrs. Obama, Mrs. Obama!" The outpouring has been incredible. There's a palpable energy in the air.
The Apartheid Museum was the last stop on the first lady's tour on Tuesday. We watched her and her family stroll through the place. She spent the better part of an hour quietly taking in everything that surrounded her. One of the places that really seemed to intrigue the family was a Nelson Mandela wing, and in there is the red Mercedes that was given to him, boxing gloves, pictures, video testimonials. She was there with her entire family, including her mother, her nephew and niece, and her two daughters. It was an emotional and educational visit for the whole family.
The first lady also met with 76 young female leaders from around Sub-Saharan Africa. When you walked into the room, you saw these girls lined up on risers. They looked like an eclectic choral group. They were from places like Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa — anywhere you can imagine. And the one thing that linked them was their commitment to making sure that women are empowered and women are going to shape the destiny of the continent.
They were so poised and so elegant, but when Michelle Obama walked in, they just lost it! They were so excited. They started clapping and singing. One of the most significant things the first lady said to those ladies was, "I want my daughters to grow up to be just like you."
It was a simple and powerful statement. But to me it said that she is wholly invested in these women and wholly invested in this idea that these young women will not only change the future of this continent but also have the potential to change the future of the world. And she wants her daughters to emulate them.
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