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First American lady Melania Trump arrived in Malawi for the second leg of her African tour in four countries.
Trump is expected to travel with children to a primary school in the capital, Lilongwe, on Thursday before meeting with Malawian colleague Gertrude Maseko.
Cape Coast Tour
The wife of President Donald Trump spent the second day of his sympathy trip to Africa on Wednesday in a former slave detention facility on the Ghanaian coast. She described her visit to Cape Coast Castle, one of forty "slave castles" built by European traders on the Gold Coast in West Africa, as "very moving" and "really something that people should see and experience".
Before arriving, according to local custom, the first lady stopped at the Eintsimadze Palace to formally request permission from the Ghanaian king, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, to visit her territory.
The meeting between Trump and the King took place inside the "Obama Hall", which owes its name to President Barack Obama, visiting in 2009 with his family.
Cape Coast Castle
Cape Coast Castle is an iconic place for visiting dignitaries. In 2009, Obama said that as an African-American, this place represents both a "deep sadness" and a source of hope. "It reminds us that, however terrible history may be, it is also possible to overcome," he said.
Obama took his family to another African slave post in 2013, known as the "Slave House" on the island of Goree in Senegal, formerly a notorious embarkation point for Africans destined for a life of slavery. The 18th century fort was the same place that President Bill Clinton and First Lady Hillary Clinton had visited during their 11-day tour of Africa in 1998.
Melania Trump visits Cape Coast, Ghana
Malawi, Kenya, Egypt
Kenya and Egypt are the other stages of Ms. Trump's African tour, which follows her husband's derogatory comments about Africa and immigrants in the region.
Malawian political scientist Vincent Kondowe lamented the reported comments and what he sees as the limited attention that the Trump administration gives to the continent, only to "counter China's influence and fight against terrorism ".
But he welcomed the first woman's visit as a "message of goodwill" which, he hopes, will encourage humanitarian organizations to pay more attention to the socio-economic challenges facing Malawi.
Despite 50 years of peaceful independence, Malawi remains one of the poorest countries in the world: more than half of its 17 million people live below the poverty line and about 40% of them live in poverty. Between them are unable to read.
He hopes that the first lady's visit could elicit more positive attention and policy from the US government.
"You never know about bedroom politics," he said. "What she is going to say about Malawi, about Ghana (…), we know that government policy can be influenced by the people who hold the office of president."
You said
US aid programs remain important to meet critical needs in countries like Malawi. Here, the First Lady should highlight the Trump administration's support to vulnerable groups through the USAID program.
USAID funds for Africa were meant for major cuts to the budget proposed by the Trump administration, but were blocked by Congress.
