President Obama’s half-brother is saying “O brother, where art thou?” ahead of yet another scheduled trip to Africa that noticeably excludes a visit to see any of his family in Kenya.
Malik Abon’go Obama, the president’s half-brother, is lamenting the days when he and Barack shared a visit in the Kenyan village of their father and ancestors, playing games, listening to music, and drinking alcohol.
That was 1988. This is now. And Malik’s famous brother has no intentions, again, of hanging out in the Kenyan village when he visits the continent.
“From what I hear, he is coming now as the president of the United States,” Malik, 57, said in an recent interview. “He should have at least informed us as his family.”
According to Bloomberg Business, the Kenyan presidency has said Barack Obama’s visit July 24 will not include a visit to the village of Kogelo — an itinerary error Malik doesn’t see as an innocent scheduling error. Malik said that he has never received an invitation to his brother’s home in the U.S. nor has he been personally informed of his impending visit to Kenya.
This is the second time the U.S. president will visit Africa and not see his half-brother and other extended family members. Obama’s 2013 visit excluded Kenya entirely and was noted by some papers as a snub to his African family.
Malik, who also shares an affinity for politics with his half-brother, has seemingly innocent intentions in his desire to catch up with Barack, who he stood next to on his wedding day as best man.
“I would like for us to just sit down and have a vanilla ice cream or a strawberry fruit cake, just to have a nice dinner, nice steak, Caesar salad, sit down and enjoy each other. I really don’t know my nieces, Malia and Sasha, and they don’t know my children either,” Malik said to Bloomberg.
Even his 94-year-old step-grandmother Sarah Obama is feeling the sting of the U.S. president’s absence.
“Obama is coming as guest of the state and to see people of Kenya, not me,” she said.
Ouch.
Hopefully there will be an Obama family reunion soon so Malik and Sarah don’t have to eat their vanilla ice cream and Caesar salad alone.
