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[[Jill Biden leaves Tuesday for her first visit to Africa as first lady, with plans to visit the Southwest African nation of Namibia and the East African nation of Kenya. There, she will focus on women’s empowerment, children’s issues and the food insecurity that has ravaged parts of the continent. VOA’s Anita Powell, who is traveling with the first lady, reports from Washington. ]]
Content TypePackage
LanguageEnglish
Transcript/ScriptJILL BIDEN AFRICA
HEADLINE: Jill Biden to Visit Namibia, Kenya for First Time as First Lady
TEASER: Jill Biden to highlight women’s empowerment, children and food insecurity
PUBLISHED AT: Tuesday, 02/21/2023 at 2:15pm
BYLINE: Anita Powell
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: The White House
VIDEOGRAPHER: AP, AFP, Zoom
VIDEO EDITOR:
SCRIPT EDITORS: pcd, MAS
VIDEO SOURCES: AP, ZOOM (WITH LICENSE)
PLATFORMS: WEB _x_ TV _X_ RADIO _x_
TRT: 2:43
VID APPROVED BY: MAS
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES: WEB to come
HFR for when they announce the trip – expect Tuesday morning. I need to voice before 1400 Tuesday))
((INTRO))
[[Jill Biden leaves Tuesday for her first visit to Africa as first lady, with plans to visit the Southwest African nation of Namibia and the East African nation of Kenya. There, she will focus on women’s empowerment, children’s issues and the food insecurity that has ravaged parts of the continent. VOA’s Anita Powell, who is traveling with the first lady, reports from Washington. ]]
((NARRATOR))
Jill Biden visited Africa five times as second lady, highlighting the plight of the powerless. Here she spoke at the continent’s largest refugee camp, in Dadaab, Kenya in 2011:
((Jill Biden, no chyron here))
((CG: 2011))
“The Mothers are bringing their children from Somalia, walking sometimes 15, 20, 25 days and they lose their children along the way, the children die. So what I’m asking is for Americans just to be maybe reach out and help and because the situation here is dire."
((NARRATOR))
Now First Lady, she returns to Kenya this week. She will also visit Namibia, the first U.S. First Lady to do so since the nation gained independence three decades ago.
In addition to focusing on women and children, the first lady will also draw attention to the dire food insecurity that is, again, gnawing at East Africa.
In December, President Biden announced a $2 billion humanitarian package to combat the problem in the region.
((President Joe Biden))
“Assistance is going to help ensure that children and families don't have to go to bed hungry."
((NARRATOR))
Presidential-spouse visits often provide a contrast to the strategic, muscular approach of the presidency – partly because, as Jill Biden herself points out, she has no executive authority and no mandate from American voters.
((Jill Biden, US First Lady))
“I wasn’t elected—but I had a part to play. As spouses, we serve the people of our countries, too. Don’t we? We see their hearts and hopes. We witness the small miracles of compassion and generosity between neighbors. We know what can happen when communities come together—how much can change when we work towards a cause that’s bigger than ourselves.”
((NARRATOR))
U.S. first ladies are generally well-received on the African continent, said Katherine Jellison, a professor of U.S. women's history and gender history at Ohio University – maybe because they have an advantage over the president.
((Katherine Jellison, Ohio University)) ((Mandatory Zoom))
“There's just going to be warmer feelings toward a nonpolitician who's visiting than a politician, because there may be strings attached.”
((NARRATOR))
Meanwhile, the Biden administration has been wooing Africa to support Ukraine over Russia and recently dispatched Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen to Senegal, Zambia and South Africa.
And Russia’s foreign minister has this year visited multiple nations that have historic or ideological ties to Russia or the former Soviet Union, like Mali, Sudan and Angola.
China sent its new foreign minister to Africa for his maiden voyage – a sign of that nation’s deep interest in the continent.
((NARRATOR))
The first lady’s visit open Wednesday and is expected to last five days.
((Anita Powell, VOA News, The White House))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
The White House
Embargo DateFebruary 21, 2023 19:42 EST
Byline
((Anita Powell, VOA News, The White House))
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
