the president: thank you. (applause) thank you so much. madam chairwoman, thank youso much for your kind words and your leadership. to prime ministerhailemariam, and the people of ethiopia -- once again,thank you for your wonderful hospitality and forhosting this pan-african institution.
to members of the africanunion, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen --thank you for welcoming me here today. it is a great honor to bethe first president of the united states to addressthe african union. i'm grateful for thisopportunity to speak to the representatives of more thanone billion people of the great african continent. we're joined today bycitizens, by leaders of
civil society, by faithcommunities, and i'm especially pleased to see somany young people who embody the energy and optimismof today's africa. hello! thank you for being here. i stand before youas a proud american. i also stand before youas the son of an african. africa and its people helpedto shape america and allowed it to become the greatnation that it is.
and africa and its peoplehave helped shape who i am and how i see the world. in the villages in kenyawhere my father was born, i learned of my ancestors, andthe life of my grandfather, the dreams of my father, thebonds of family that connect us all as africansand americans. as parents, michelle and iwant to make sure that our two daughters know theirheritage -- european and african, in all of itsstrengths and all of
its struggle. so we've taken our daughtersand stood with them on the shores of west africa, inthose doors of no return, mindful that their ancestorswere both slaves and slave owners. we've stood with them inthat small cell on robben island where madiba showedthe world that, no matter the nature of his physicalconfinement, he alone was the master of his fate.
for us, for our children,africa and its people teach us a powerful lesson -- thatwe must uphold the inherent dignity of everyhuman being. dignity -- that basic ideathat by virtue of our common humanity, no matter where wecome from, or what we look like, we are all born equal,touched by the grace of god. every person has worth. every person matters. every person deserves to betreated with decency
and respect. throughout much of history,mankind did not see this. dignity was seen as a virtuereserved to those of rank and privilege,kings and elders. it took a revolution of thespirit, over many centuries, to open our eyes to thedignity of every person. and around the world,generations have struggled to put this idea intopractice in laws and in institutions.
so, too, here in africa. this is the cradle ofhumanity, and ancient african kingdoms were hometo great libraries and universities. but the evil of slavery tookroot not only abroad, but here on the continent. colonialism skewed africa'seconomy and robbed people of their capacity to shapetheir own destiny. eventually, liberationmovements grew.
and 50 years ago, in a greatburst of self-determination, africans rejoiced as foreignflags came down and your national flags went up. as south africa's albertluthuli said at the time, "the basis for peace andbrotherhood in africa is being restored by theresurrection of national sovereignty andindependence, of equality and the dignity of man." a half-century into thisindependence era, it is long
past time to put aside oldstereotypes of an africa forever mired inpoverty and conflict. the world must recognizeafrica's extraordinary progress. today, africa is one of thefastest-growing regions in the world. africa's middle class isprojected to grow to more than one billion consumers. with hundreds of millionsof mobile phones, surging access to the internet,africans are beginning to
leapfrog old technologiesinto new prosperity. africa is on the move, anew africa is emerging. propelled by this progress,and in partnership with the world, africa has achievedhistoric gains in health. the rate of new hiv/aidsinfections has plummeted. african mothers are morelikely to survive childbirth and have healthy babies. deaths from malaria havebeen slashed, saving the lives of millionsof african children.
millions have been liftedfrom extreme poverty. africa has led the world insending more children to school. in other words, more andmore african men, women and children are living withdignity and with hope. and africa's progresscan also be seen in the institutions that bringus together today. when i first came tosub-saharan africa as a president, i said thatafrica doesn't need strongmen, it needsstrong institutions.
and one of thoseinstitutions can be the african union. here, you can come together,with a shared commitment to human dignityand development. here, your 54 nations pursuea common vision of an "integrated, prosperousand peaceful africa." as africa changes, i'vecalled on the world to change itsapproach to africa. so many africans have toldme, we don't want just aid,
we want trade thatfuels progress. we don't want patrons, wewant partners who help us build our owncapacity to grow. we don't want the indignityof dependence, we want to make our own choices anddetermine our own future. as president, i've workedto transform america's relationship with africa-- so that we're truly listening to our africanfriends and working together, as equal partners.
and i'm proud of theprogress that we've made. we've boosted americanexports to this region, part of trade that supports jobsfor africans and americans. to sustain our momentum --and with the bipartisan support of some of theoutstanding members of congress who are here today-- 20 of them who are here today -- i recently signedthe 10-year renewal of the african growth andopportunity act. and i want tothank them all.
why don't they stand verybriefly so you can see them, because they've doneoutstanding work. we've launched majorinitiatives to promote food security, and public healthand access to electricity, and to prepare the nextgeneration of african leaders and entrepreneurs--investments that will help fuel africa's risefor decades to come. last year, as the chairwomannoted, i welcomed nearly 50 african presidents and primeministers to washington so
we could begin a newchapter of cooperation. and by coming to the africanunion today, i'm looking to build on that commitment. i believe africa's riseis not just important for africa, it's importantto the entire world. we will not be able to meetthe challenges of our time -- from ensuring a strongglobal economy to facing down violent extremism, tocombating climate change, to ending hunger and extremepoverty -- without the
voices and contributionsof one billion africans. now, even with africa'simpressive progress, we must acknowledge that many ofthese gains rest on a fragile foundation. alongside new wealth,hundreds of millions of africans still endureextreme poverty. alongside high-tech hubs ofinnovation, many africans are crowded into shantytownswithout power or running water -- a level of povertythat's an assault
on human dignity. moreover, as the youngestand fastest-growing continent, africa'spopulation in the coming decades will double to sometwo billion people, and many of them will beyoung, under 18. now, on the one hand, thiscould bring tremendous opportunities as theseyoung africans harness new technologies and ignitenew growth and reforms. economists will tell youthat countries, regions,
continents grow fasterwith younger populations. it's a demographic edge andadvantage -- but only if those young peopleare being trained. we need only to look at themiddle east and north africa to see that large numbers ofyoung people with no jobs and stifled voices can fuelinstability and disorder. i suggest to you that themost urgent task facing africa today and fordecades ahead is to create opportunity for thisnext generation.
and this will be anenormous undertaking. africa will need to generatemillions more jobs than it's doing right now. and time is of the essence. the choices made today willshape the trajectory of africa, and therefore, theworld for decades to come. and as your partner and yourfriend, allow me to suggest several ways that wecan meet this challenge together.
africa's progress willdepend on unleashing economic growth -- not justfor the few at the top, but for the many, because anessential element of dignity is being able tolive a decent life. that begins with a job. and that requirestrade and investment. many of your nations havemade important reforms to attract investment -- it'sbeen a spark for growth. but in many places acrossafrica, it's still too hard
to start a venture, stilltoo hard to build a business. governments that takeadditional reforms to make doing business easier willhave an eager partner in the united states. and that includes reforms tohelp africa trade more with itself -- as the chairwomanand i discussed before we came out here today --because the biggest markets for your goods areoften right next door. you don't have to just lookoverseas for growth, you can
look internally. and our work to help africamodernize customs and border crossings started with theeast african community -- now we're expandingour efforts across the continent, because itshouldn't be harder for african countries to tradewith each other than it is for you to trade witheurope and america. now, most u.s. trade with the region iswith just three countries --
south africa, nigeria andangola -- and much of that is in the form of energy. i want africans andamericans doing more business together in moresectors, in more countries. so we're increasing trademissions to places like tanzania, ethiopiamozambique. we're working to help moreafricans get their goods to market. next year, we'll hostanother u.s.-africa business
forum to mobilize billionsof dollars in new trade and investment -- so we'rebuying more of each other's products and allgrowing together. now, the united states isn'tthe only country that sees your growth asan opportunity. and that is a good thing. when more countries investresponsibly in africa, it creates more jobs andprosperity for us all. so i want to encourageeverybody to do business
with africa, and africancountries should want to do business with every country. but economic relationshipscan't simply be about building countries'infrastructure with foreign labor or extractingafrica's natural resources. real economic partnershipshave to be a good deal for africa -- they have tocreate jobs and capacity for africans. and that includes the pointthat chairwoman zuma made
about illicit flows withmultinationals -- which is one of the reasons thatwe've been a leading advocate, working with theg7, to assist in making sure that there's honestaccounting when businesses are investing here inafrica, and making sure that capital flows areproperly accounted for. that's the kind ofpartnership america offers. nothing will unlock africa'seconomic potential more than ending the cancerof corruption.
and you are right that itis not just a problem of africa, it is a problem ofthose who do business with africa. it is not unique to africa-- corruption exists all over the world, includingin the united states. but here in africa,corruption drains billions of dollars from economiesthat can't afford to lose billions of dollars --that's money that could be used to create jobs andbuild hospitals and schools.
and when someone has to paya bribe just to start a business or go to school, orget an official to do the job they're supposed to bedoing anyway -- that's not "the african way." it undermines the dignity ofthe people you represent. only africans can endcorruption in their countries. as african governmentscommit to taking action, the united states will workwith you to combat illicit financing, and promote goodgovernance and transparency
and rule of law. and we already have stronglaws in place that say to u.s. companies, you can't engagein bribery to try to get business -- which notall countries have. and we actually enforceit and police it. and let me add that criminalnetworks are both fueling corruption and threateningafrica's precious wildlife -- and with it, the tourismthat many african economies count on.
so america also stands withyou in the fight against wildlife trafficking. that's something thathas to be addressed. but, ultimately, the mostpowerful antidote to the old ways of doing things is thisnew generation of african youth. history shows that thenations that do best are the ones that invest in theeducation of their people. you see, in this informationage, jobs can flow anywhere, and they typically willflow to where workers are
literate and highlyskilled and online. and africa's young peopleare ready to compete. i've met them -- they arehungry, they are eager. they're willingto work hard. so we've got toinvest in them. as africa investsin education, our entrepreneurship programsare helping innovators start new businesses and createjobs right here in africa. and the men and women inour young african leaders
initiative today will be theleaders who can transform business and civil societyand governments tomorrow. africa's progress willdepend on development that truly lifts countries frompoverty to prosperity -- because people everywheredeserve the dignity of a life free from want. a child born in africa todayis just as equal and just as worthy as a child born inasia or europe or america. at the recent developmentconference here in addis,
african leadership helpedforge a new global compact for financing thatfuels development. and under the au'sleadership, the voice of a united africa will helpshape the world's next set of development goals, andyou're pursuing a vision of the future that youwant for africa. and america's approach todevelopment -- the central focus of our engagement withafrica -- is focused on helping you build your owncapacity to realize that vision.
instead of just shippingfood aid to africa, we've helped more than two millionfarmers use new techniques to boost their yields, feedmore people, reduce hunger. with our new alliance ofgovernment and the private sector investing billionsof dollars in african agriculture, i believe wecan achieve our goal and lift 50 millionafricans from poverty. instead of just sending aidto build power plants, our power africa initiativeis mobilizing billions of
dollars in investments fromgovernments and businesses to reduce the number ofafricans living without electricity. now, an undertaking of thismagnitude will not be quick. it will take many years. but working together,i believe we can bring electricity to more than 60million african homes and businesses and connect moreafricans to the global economy. instead of just tellingafrica, you're on your own,
in dealing with climatechange, we're delivering new tools and financing to morethan 40 african nations to help them prepare and adapt. by harnessing the wind andsun, your vast geothermal energy and rivers forhydropower, you can turn this climate threat intoan economic opportunity. and i urge africa to joinus in rejecting old divides between north and south sowe can forge a strong global climate agreementthis year in paris.
because sparing some of theworld's poorest people from rising seas, more intensedroughts, shortages of water and food is a matter ofsurvival and a matter of human dignity. instead of just sendingmedicine, we're investing in better treatments andhelping africa prevent and treat diseases. as the united statescontinues to provide billions of dollars in thefight against hiv/aids, and
as your countries takegreater ownership of health programs, we're movingtoward a historic accomplishment -- the firstaids-free generation. and if the world learnedanything from ebola, it's that the best way to preventepidemics is to build strong public health systems thatstop diseases from spreading in the first place. so america is proud topartner with the au and african countriesin this mission.
today, i can announce thatof the $1 billion that the united states is devotingto this work globally, half will support effortshere in africa. i believe africa's progresswill also depend on democracy, because africans,like people everywhere, deserve the dignity of beingin control of their own lives. we all know what theingredients of real democracy are. they include free and fairelections, but also freedom
of speech and the press,freedom of assembly. these rights are universal. they're written intoafrican constitutions. the african charter on humanand peoples rights declares that "every individualshall have the right to the respect of the dignityinherent in a human being." from sierra leone, ghana,benin, to botswana, namibia, south africa, democracyhas taken root. in nigeria, more than 28million voters bravely cast
their ballots and powertransferred as it should -- peacefully. yet at this very moment,these same freedoms are denied to many africans. and i have to proclaim,democracy is not just formal elections. when journalists are putbehind bars for doing their jobs, or activists arethreatened as governments crack down oncivil society -
-- then you may havedemocracy in name, but not in substance. and i'm convinced thatnations cannot realize the full promise of independenceuntil they fully protect the rights of their people. and this is true even forcountries that have made important democraticprogress. as i indicated duringmy visit to kenya, the remarkable gains thatcountry has made with a new
constitution, with itselection, cannot be jeopardized by restrictionson civil society. likewise, our host,ethiopians have much to be proud of -- i've been amazedat all the wonderful work that's being done here --and it's true that the elections that took placehere occurred without violence. but as i discussed withprime minister hailemariam, that's just thestart of democracy. i believe ethiopia will notfully unleash the potential
of its people if journalistsare restricted or legitimate opposition groups can'tparticipate in the campaign process. and, to his credit, theprime minister acknowledged that more work will need tobe done for ethiopia to be a full-fledged,sustainable democracy. so these are conversationswe have to have as friends. our american democracyis not perfect. we've worked formany years --
-- but one thing we do iswe continually reexamine to figure out how can we makeour democracy better. and that's a force ofstrength for us, being willing to look and seehonestly what we need to be doing to fulfill the promiseof our founding documents. and every country has togo through that process. no country is perfect, butwe have to be honest, and strive to expand freedoms,to broaden democracy. the bottom line is that whencitizens cannot exercise
their rights, the world hasa responsibility to speak out. and america will, even ifit's sometimes uncomfortable - -- even when it's sometimesdirected toward our friends. and i know that there's somecountries that don't say anything - (laughter) -- and maybe that's easierfor leaders to deal with. but you're kind of stuckwith us -- this is how we are. we believe in these thingsand we're going to keep on
talking about them. and i want to repeat, we dothis not because we think our democracy is perfect, orwe think that every country has to followprecisely our path. for more than two centuriessince our independence, we're still working onperfecting our union. we're not immunefrom criticism. when we fall short of ourideals, we strive to do better. but when we speak out forour principles, at home and
abroad, we stay true to ourvalues and we help lift up the lives of peoplebeyond our borders. and we thinkthat's important. and it's especiallyimportant, i believe, for those of us of africandescent, because we've known what it feels like to beon the receiving end of injustice. we know what it means tobe discriminated against. we know what itmeans to be jailed.
so how can we stand by whenit's happening to somebody else? i'll be frank with you, itcan't just be america that's talking about these things. fellow african countrieshave to talk about these things. just as other countrieschampioned your break from colonialism, our nationsmust all raise our voices when universal rightsare being denied. for if we truly believethat africans are equal in dignity, then africans havean equal right to freedoms
that are universal -- that'sa principle we all have to defend. and it's not just a westernidea; it's a human idea. i have to also say thatafrica's democratic progress is also at risk when leadersrefuse to step aside when their terms end. now, let me be honest withyou -- i do not understand this. i am in my second term. it has been an extraordinaryprivilege for me to serve as
president of theunited states. i cannot imagine a greaterhonor or a more interesting job. i love my work. but under our constitution,i cannot run again. (laughter and applause) i can't run again. i actually think i'm apretty good president -- i think if i ran i could win. but i can't.
so there's a lot that i'dlike to do to keep america moving, but thelaw is the law. and no one personis above the law. not even the president. and i'll be honest with you-- i'm looking forward to life after being president. i won't have such a bigsecurity detail all the time. it means i cango take a walk. i can spend timewith my family.
i can find otherways to serve. i can visitafrica more often. the point is, i don'tunderstand why people want to stay so long. especially when they'vegot a lot of money. when a leader tries tochange the rules in the middle of the game just tostay in office, it risks instability and strife --as we've seen in burundi. and this is often just afirst step down a perilous path.
and sometimes you'll hearleaders say, well, i'm the only person who can holdthis nation together. if that's true, then thatleader has failed to truly build their nation. you look at nelson mandela-- madiba, like george washington, forged a lastinglegacy not only because of what they did in office, butbecause they were willing to leave office and transferpower peacefully. and just as the africanunion has condemned coups
and illegitimate transfersof power, the au's authority and strong voice can alsohelp the people of africa ensure that their leadersabide by term limits and their constitutions. nobody should bepresident for life. and your country is betteroff if you have new blood and new ideas. i'm still a pretty youngman, but i know that somebody with new energy andnew insights will be good
for my country. it will be good for yours,too, in some cases. africa's progress will alsodepend on security and peace -- because an essential partof human dignity is being safe and free from fear. in angola, mozambique,liberia, sierra leone, we've seen conflicts end andcountries work to rebuild. but from somalia and nigeriato mali and tunisia, terrorists continue totarget innocent civilians.
many of these groups claimthe banner of religion, but hundreds of millions ofafrican muslims know that islam means peace. and we must call groups likeal qaeda, isil, al-shabaab, boko haram -- we must callthem what they are -- murderers. in the face of threats,africa -- and the african union --has shownleadership. because of the au forcein somalia, al-shabaab controls less territory andthe somali government is
growing stronger. in central africa, theau-led mission continues to degrade the lord'sresistance army. in the lake chad basin,forces from several nations -- with the backing of theau -- are fighting to end boko haram'ssenseless brutality. and today, we salute allthose who serve to protect the innocent, includingso many brave african peacekeepers.
now, as africa standsagainst terror and conflict, i want you to know that theunited states stands with you. with training and support,we're helping african forces grow stronger. the united states issupporting the au's efforts to strengthen peacekeeping,and we're working with countries in the region todeal with emerging crises with the african peacekeeping rapid response partnership. the world must domore to help as well.
this fall at the unitednations, i will host a summit to secure newcommitments to strengthen international support forpeacekeeping, including here in africa. and building on commitmentsthat originated here in the au, we'll work to develop anew partnership between the u.n. and the au that can providereliable support for au peace operations. if african governments andinternational partners step
up with strong support, wecan transform how we work together to promote securityand peace in africa. our efforts to ensure ourshared security must be matched by a commitmentto improve governance. those things are connected. good governance is one ofthe best weapons against terrorism and instability. our fight against terroristgroups, for example, will never be won if we failto address legitimate
grievances that terroristsmay try to exploit, if we don't build trust with allcommunities, if we don't uphold the rule of law. there's a saying, and ibelieve it is true -- if we sacrifice liberty in thename of security, we risk losing both. this same seriousness of purpose is needed to end conflicts. in the central africanrepublic, the spirit of dialogue recently shown byordinary citizens must be
matched by leaders committedto inclusive elections and a peaceful transition. in mali, the comprehensivepeace agreement must be fulfilled. and leaders in sudan mustknow their nation will never truly thrive so long as theywage war against their own people -- the world willnot forget about darfur. in south sudan, the joy ofindependence has descended into the despairof violence.
i was there at the unitednations when we held up south sudan as the promiseof a new beginning. and neither mr. kiir, normr. machar have shown, so far, any interest in sparingtheir people from this suffering, or reachinga political solution. yesterday, i met withleaders from this region. we agree that, given thecurrent situation, mr. kiir and mr. machar must reach anagreement by august 17th -- because if they do not, ibelieve the international
community must raise thecosts of intransigence. and the world awaits thereport of the au commission of inquiry, becauseaccountability for atrocities must be partof any lasting peace in africa's youngest nation. and finally, africa'sprogress will depend on upholding the human rightsof all people -- for if each of us is to be treated withdignity, each of us must be sure to also extend thatsame dignity to others.
as president, i make it apoint to meet with many of our young african leaders. and one was a youngman from senegal. he said something wonderfulabout being together with so many of his africanbrothers and sisters. he said, "here, i have metafrica, the [africa] i've always believed in. she's beautiful. she's young.
she's full of talent andmotivation and ambition." i agree. africa is the beautiful,talented daughters who are just as capableas africa's sons. and as a father, i believethat my two daughters have to have the same chanceto pursue their dreams as anybody's son -- and thatsame thing holds true for girls here in africa. our girls have tobe treated the same.
we can't let old traditionsstand in the way. the march of history showsthat we have the capacity to broaden our moralimaginations. we come to see that sometraditions are good for us, they keep us grounded, butthat, in our modern world, other traditionsset us back. when african girls aresubjected to the mutilation of their bodies, or forcedinto marriage at the ages of 9 or 10 or 11 --that sets us back.
that's not a good tradition. it needs to end. when more than 80 percentof new hiv cases in the hardest-hit countries areteenage girls, that's a tragedy; that sets us back. so america is beginning apartnership with 10 african countries -- kenya, lesotho,malawi, mozambique, south africa, swaziland, tanzania,uganda, zambia and zimbabwe -- to keep teenage girlssafe and aids-free.
and when girls cannot goto school and grow up not knowing how to read or write-- that denies the world future women engineers,future women doctors, future women business owners,future women presidents -- that sets us all back. that's a bad tradition --not providing our girls the same education as our sons. i was saying in kenya,nobody would put out a football team and thenjust play half the team.
you'd lose. the same is true when itcomes to getting everybody and education. you can't leave half theteam off -- our young women. so as part of america'ssupport for the education and the health of ourdaughters, my wife, michelle, is helping to leada global campaign, including a new effort in tanzaniaand malawi, with a simple message -- let girls learn-- let girls learn so they
grow up healthy andthey grow up strong. and that will begood for families. and they will raise smart,healthy children, and that will be good for everyone of your nations. africa is the beautiful,strong women that these girls grow up to become. the single best indicatorof whether a nation will succeed is how ittreats its women. when women have health careand women have education,
families are stronger,communities are more prosperous, children dobetter in school, nations are more prosperous. look at the amazing africanwomen here in this hall. if you want your country togrow and succeed, you have to empower your women. and if you want to empowermore women, america will be your partner. let's work together to stopsexual assault and
domestic violence. let's make clear that wewill not tolerate rape as a weapon of war-- it's a crime. and those who commitit must be punished. let's lift up the nextgeneration of women leaders who can help fight injusticeand forge peace and start new businesses and createjobs -- and some might hire some men, too. we'll all be better off whenwomen have equal futures.
and africa is the beautifultapestry of your cultures and ethnicities andraces and religions. last night, we saw thisamazing dance troupe made up of street children who hadformed a dance troupe and they performed for theprime minister and myself. and there were 80 differentlanguages and i don't know how many ethnic groups. and there were like 30different dances that were being done.
and the prime minister wastrying to keep up with -- okay, i think that one is -- -- and they were moving fast. and that diversity here inethiopia is representative of diversity allthroughout africa. and that's a strength. now, yesterday, i had theprivilege to view lucy -- you may know lucy -- she'sour ancestor, more than 3 million years old.
in this tree of humanity,with all of our branches and diversity, we all goback to the same root. we're all one family --we're all one tribe. and yet so much of thesuffering in our world stems from our failure to rememberthat -- to not recognize ourselves in each other. we think because somebody'sskin is slightly different, or their hair is slightlydifferent, or their religious faith isdifferently expressed, or
they speak a differentlanguage that it justifies somehow us treatingthem with less dignity. and that becomes the sourceof so many of our problems. and we think somehow thatwe make ourselves better by putting other people down. when we begin to see otheras somehow less than ourselves -- when wesuccumb to these artificial divisions of faith or sector tribe or ethnicity -- then even the most awfulabuses are justified in the
minds of those who arethinking in those ways. and in the end, abusers losetheir own humanity, as well. nelson mandela taught us,"to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains,but to live in a way that respects and enhancesthe freedom of others." every one of us is equal. every one of us has worth. every one of us matters. and when we respect thefreedom of others -- no
matter the color of theirskin, or how they pray or who they are or who theylove -- we are all more free. your dignity depends on mydignity, and my dignity depends on yours. imagine if everyone had thatspirit in their hearts. imagine if governmentsoperated that way. just imagine what the worldcould look like -- the future that we couldbequeath these young people. yes, in our world, oldthinking can be a
stubborn thing. that's one of the reasonswhy we need term limits -- old people think old ways. and you can see my greyhair, i'm getting old. the old wayscan be stubborn. but i believe the humanheart is stronger. i believe hearts can change. i believe minds can open. that's how change happens.
that's how societiesmove forward. it's not always a straightline -- step by halting step -- sometimes you go forward,you move back a little bit. but i believe we aremarching, we are pointing towards ideals ofjustice and equality. that's how your nations wonindependence -- not just with rifles, but withprinciples and ideals. that's how african americanswon our civil rights. that's how south africans --black and white --
tore down apartheid. that's why i can standbefore you today as the first african americanpresident of the united states. new thinking. unleashing growth thatcreates opportunity. promoting development thatlifts all people out of poverty. supporting democracy thatgives citizens their say. advancing the security andjustice that delivers peace. respecting the humanrights of all people.
these are the keys toprogress -- not just in africa, butaround the world. and this is the workthat we can do together. and i am hopeful. as i prepare to return home,my thoughts are with that same young man from senegal,who said: here, i have met africa, the [africa]i've always believed in. she's beautiful andyoung, full of talent and motivation and ambition.
to which i would simply add,as you build the africa you believe in, you will have nobetter partner, no better friend than the unitedstates of america. god bless africa. god bless the unitedstates of america. thank you verymuch, everybody. thank you.
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