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Cape Town hosted a screening of the speech. Pretoria offered briefings and press interviews.
Obama in Cairo and Cape Town
June 4, 2009
On June 4, 2009, President Obama delivered his promised address to Muslim communities around the world. He announced a new beginning between the United States and Muslims around the world based on mutual interest and mutual respect, including new partnerships in areas of such as education, economic development, science and technology, and global health. The President also emphasized the importance of turning interfaith dialogue into interfaith partnerships that bring members of different faiths together for community service – whether it is to combat malaria, rebuild communities, or provide disaster relief.
U.S. Embassies and Consulates in South Africa hosted screenings, briefings and media interviews on this signicant milestone in U.S. policy.
Pretoria
Putting aside the pressures of mid-year exams, high school students watched in rapt silence President Obama’s historic Cairo speech, in the Mae Jemison U.S. Science Reading Room in Mamelodi, a black township on the outskirts of Pretoria.
Afterwards, Economics Section Officer Daleya Uddin led a lively discussion on the main themes of the speech. The students responded positively to Obama’s call to youth to reimagine and remake the world; not surprisingly, they also picked up on Obama’s promise to increase scholarships. Students were provided with copies of selected articles relating to the speech by the Embassy's American Library.