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0 viewsAuma Obama, half- sister to Barack Obama, launched her autobiography with a read and review on the 15th June at the IDASA building in Cape Town.
The evening was formally opened by Ulla Wester, head of Library and Information Services at the Goethe Institute, and Obama was welcomed by an eclectic audience from South Africa and beyond.
Carlotta van Moltzan, a German Professor from the University of Stellenbosch opened the review by introducing Obama and her book, entitled And Then Life Happened. The book was originally written and published in German and was translated into English in April.
Throughout the evening, Obama read sections of her book, telling parts of her family story. The book primarily focuses on the relationship she shared with her father as well as touching on the relationship she has had with her famous younger brother, US president, Barack Obama.
Auma Obama was born in the town of Kogelo in Kenya and led a hard and relatively impoverished existence as a young girl. Having earned a scholarship to study at the University of Heidelberg, she left Kenya at the age of 19. She then furthered her studies at the University of Bayreuth and was awarded her PHD. For 16 years Obama stayed in Germany where she struggled to come to grips with the numerous “culture shocks” and the conflict between African and European cultures and their influence on her own identity.
Obama’s book also conveys her first encounter with her American brother when they were both in their twenties, and moves on to describe the work which she does in Kenya as a youth counsellor. She created an organization named “Sauti Kuu” (Powerful Voices) Foundation, working with young people in the rural areas of Kenya and “helping them to find their own voices.” Her aim is to help these children use what they have in their own communities and create a better future for themselves without depending on funds or resources from charities. “Poor people have dignity too” she said.
Obama’s book shows the many different places and situations she has found herself in and the conflicting emotions that have come with with this journey. She explains how she sees herself as a girl who overcame the odds of family dysfunction, by following her passion for studying and helping future generations to build a strong platform for themselves.
After all that Obama has experienced, she has focused on the positives, and has become a caring and generous woman, accomplishing a great deal and using her talents to help those who benefit most. This autobiography, it is quickly clear, is a personal memoir and not the story of her more well-known brother. Having seen and done so much in her own life, Obama doesn’t need to rely on the President of the USA for any help.
Auma Obama’s autobiography, And Then Life Happened, is available in stores country-wide in both German and English.
Image 2: Signing her book, And then Life happened
Image 3: Auma Obama