Auma Obama | |
|---|---|
 Obama in 2012 | |
| Born | Rita Auma Obama 1960 (age 64–65) |
| Nationality | Kenyan |
| Citizenship | Kenyan, British |
| Education | Heidelberg University (BA) University of Bayreuth (PhD) |
| Occupation(s) | Community activist, sociologist, journalist, author |
| Years active | 1980–present |
| Known for | Community activism |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
| Father | Barack Obama Sr. |
| Relatives |
|
| Family | Obama family |
Rita Auma Obama (born 1960) is a Kenyan-British community activist,sociologist,journalist,author, and half-sister of the 44thpresident of the United States,Barack Obama. Obama serves as theexecutive chairwoman of Sauti Kuu Foundation (Strong Voices Foundation), anon-profit organisation that helps orphans and other young people struggling with poverty inKenya.[1][2][3]
Auma Obama is the daughter ofBarack Obama Sr. and his first wife,Kezia Obama (née Aoko).[4][5][6] She is the olderhalf-sister ofBarack Obama. After attending a local elementary school andThe Kenya High School for secondary education (1973–1978), she secured a scholarship to attend university in Germany. She studiedGerman atHeidelberg University from 1981 until 1987. After her graduation from Heidelberg, she went for graduate studies at theUniversity of Bayreuth, graduating with aDoctor of Philosophy degree in 1996.[2] She also studied at theGerman Film and Television Academy inBerlin.[7] Obama's final project at the Film Academy was the twenty-minute filmAll That Glitters (1993), which blends genre conventions in depicting the vulnerability of Black lives in post-unification Germany.[8]
Obama lived in theUnited Kingdom after her studies. While there, she helped her mother, Kezia, to relocate fromKenya to theUK.[5] Kezia was granted British citizenship in 2011.[4]
In 1996, Obama married anEnglishman, Ian Manners. They are the parents of Akinyi Manners (born 1997). Obama and Manners divorced in 2000.[2][9] In 2007, Obama and Akinyi relocated to Kenya.[10]
Obama worked for five years in Kenya with the international charityCARE International as the organization's East Africa Coordinator before starting her own charity, Sauti Kuu Foundation, sometimes referred to asAuma Obama Foundation.[11]
In 2010, theJacobs Foundation’s board of trustees has appointed her as a new member. This foundation (the 1st wealthiest Swisscharitable organization), with its registered office inZürich, provides funding and support worldwide and has an annual funding budget amounting to approximatelyCHF 35 million ($33.66 million in 2010) for projects benefiting young people and their integration into society.[12]
Obama attended Barack Obama's, her half-brother's, inaugurations to the Senate and the presidency, in 2005 and 2009, respectively.[13]
In 2011, Obama was interviewed forTurk Pipkin's documentaryBuilding Hope and was the subject of a German documentary filmThe Education of Auma Obama. In 2017, Obama was honoured with the fourth InternationalTÜV Rheinland Global Compact Award inCologne.[14] At the award ceremony, she received a specially made bronze sculptureDer Griff nach den Sternen (Reaching for the stars) by artistHannes Helmke.[15] Obama is the author of the bookAnd Then Life Happens, released in 2012 bySt. Martin's Press.[11]
Obama is a member of theWorld Future Council. She is also a member of the board of trustees of theGermany Reading Foundation, as well as a member of the advisory board of the Bayreuth Academy of Advanced African Studies at the University of Bayreuth. She serves on the council of the Kilimanjaro Initiative in Nairobi. Since 2014, Dr. Obama has been thepatron of the International Storymoja Festivals in Kenya. She is also the initiator of the Sauti Kuu Act Now Awards.[16]
In 2021, she agreed to participate in the German dance showLet's Dance, the German version ofDancing with the Stars. She reached 5th place.[17]
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Quotations from Wikiquote
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