President Clinton's Trip to Africa - 1998

This exhibit looks into President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s trip to Africa in March and April of 1998. The exhibit highlights museum artifacts, archived audiovisual materials, and historic documents from the Clinton Presidential Library and Museum, a part of the Presidential Library System of the National Archives & Records Administration.

By taking this historic trip in 1998, President Clinton became the first sitting United States President to visit Ghana, Uganda, Botswana, and Senegal. President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton also visited Rwanda and South Africa. While in Africa, President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton focused on key issues such as development, trade, investment, empowerment of women, and the environment.

President Clinton stands with both arms outreached into a crowd of people. President Clinton is surrounded by security wearing suits and sunglasses.
President Clinton greets the large crowd on the rope line following his address to the people of Ghana in Accra, March 23, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.
President Clinton greets the large crowd on the rope line following his address to the people of Ghana in Accra, March 23, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.

“It is time for Americans to put a new Africa on our map…Today Ghana again lights the way for Africa. Democracy is spreading. Business is growing. Trade and investment are rising.”

President Clinton, Remarks to the People of Ghana, 3/23/1998
President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings raise their arms together on the dais in Accra, Ghana
President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings raise their arms together on the dais in Accra, Ghana, March 23, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.
President Clinton, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton, President Jerry John Rawlings and his wife Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings raise their arms together on the dais in Accra, Ghana, March 23, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.
Patterned Kente cloth woven of green, black, yellow patterns over magenta wrap.
Patterned Kente cloth woven of green, black, yellow patterns over magenta wrap. The patterns: black & yellow double diamond; Stairstep; black & yellow triangles in square; Black, yellow, green arrowheads. 30 strips, sewn together with dark magenta thread. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
Patterned Kente cloth woven of green, black, yellow patterns over magenta wrap. The patterns: black & yellow double diamond; Stairstep; black & yellow triangles in square; Black, yellow, green arrowheads. 30 strips, sewn together with dark magenta thread. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.

After delivering remarks to the people of Ghana in Accra’s Independence Square, President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton received robes woven of kente cloth as gifts from President Jerry John Rawlings and First Lady Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. President Clinton also received a drum as a gift during this trip. The drum of wood and animal hide is carved with traditional Ghanian designs.

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The drum of wood and animal hide is carved with various native animals in black background. The engraved inscription reads, “Presented to President William Clinton USA --- Shidaa Cultural Company Ghana 1998.”
The drum of wood and animal hide is carved with various native animals in black background. The engraved inscription reads, “Presented to President William Clinton USA --- Shidaa Cultural Company Ghana 1998.” This gift was given to President Clinton from Shidaa Cultural Company during the trip in Ghana. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
The drum of wood and animal hide is carved with various native animals in black background. The engraved inscription reads, “Presented to President William Clinton USA --- Shidaa Cultural Company Ghana 1998.” This gift was given to President Clinton from Shidaa Cultural Company during the trip in Ghana. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.

While in Kampala, President Clinton received this picture as a gift. This wood inlay of a musician playing the endongo illustrates the rich musical heritage of Uganda.

Framed wood inlay of the musician playing an endongo intrument.
The wood inlay of the musician playing an endongo was given to the First Family of President Clinton from Christine Luyombya of Kampala, Uganda. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
The wood inlay of the musician playing an endongo was given to the First Family of President Clinton from Christine Luyombya of Kampala, Uganda. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton walk with school children. The school children wear pink dresses. There is a wood building in the background.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton walk with school children at the Kisowera School in Mukuno, Uganda. President Clinton kept a framed copy of this photo in the Oval Office. March 24, 1998, Photographer Barbara Kinney.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton walk with school children at the Kisowera School in Mukuno, Uganda. President Clinton kept a framed copy of this photo in the Oval Office. March 24, 1998, Photographer Barbara Kinney.

“We want to widen the circle of educational opportunity as is already happening here in Uganda. We want to make investments in primary education for those who will educate boys and girls, because that is critical to improving health, reducing poverty, raising the status of women, spurring economic growth.”

President Clinton, Remarks to Kisowera School, 3/23/1998

The students of the Kisowera School in Mukono similarly greeted President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton with music, song, and dance prior to the Clinton’s remarks at Kisowera School. Students of the Kisowera School and President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni walked with President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton upon their departure from Mukono.

President Yoweri Kaguta Museveni and First Lady Janet Kainembabazi Museveni gifted a painting of a male and female crested crane to commemorate the Clintons’ trip to Uganda in 1998. The crested crane is the national bird of Uganda and appears on their national flag.

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Signed LR-F "C. Whymper." Male and female crested cranes in reeds by water. loss LR. Colored image of two cranes at the edge of water bank with tall foliage in background. Cream colored mat. "Uganda 1998" lettering on lower center. Gold colored frame. Glazing.
The metallic gold framed painting depicts a male and a female crested crane in a reed at the edge of water bank with tall foliage in the background. At the lower center reads, “Uganda - March 1998.” This gift was given from Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, and Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda, March 23rd to 25th, 1998. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
The metallic gold framed painting depicts a male and a female crested crane in a reed at the edge of water bank with tall foliage in the background. At the lower center reads, “Uganda - March 1998.” This gift was given from Yoweri Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda, and Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda, March 23rd to 25th, 1998. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.

“The international community, together with nations in Africa, must bear its share of responsibility for this tragedy…We cannot change the past, but we can and must do everything in our power to help you build a future without fear and full of hope. ”

President Clinton, Remarks to Genocide Survivors in Kigali, Rwanda, 3/25/1998
President Clinton stands with two men in suits. Young men stand in the background wearing white shits and white hats. There is a wooden sculpture that sits on a table in the left corner of the photograph.
President Clinton participates in a ceremony to honor the Rwandan Genocide Survivors in Kigali, Rwanda. A sculpture is dedicated to honor the victims of genocide, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Ralph Alswang.
President Clinton participates in a ceremony to honor the Rwandan Genocide Survivors in Kigali, Rwanda. A sculpture is dedicated to honor the victims of genocide, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Ralph Alswang.
This gift is made of libuyu wood. It showcases two tall libuyu wood figures--a male holding a sorghum stalk aloft in right hand and a female holding a basket. They stand upon the wooden base whose sides are carved with many human faces and weapons in the memorial to the genocide victims of Rwanda.
This gift is made of libuyu wood. It showcases two tall libuyu wood figures--a male holding a sorghum stalk aloft in right hand and a female holding a basket. They stand upon the wooden base whose sides are carved with many human faces and weapons in the memorial to the genocide victims of Rwanda. The gift was given by Pasteur Bizimungu, President of the Republic of Rwanda on March 25th, 1998. In the collection of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.
This gift is made of libuyu wood. It showcases two tall libuyu wood figures--a male holding a sorghum stalk aloft in right hand and a female holding a basket. They stand upon the wooden base whose sides are carved with many human faces and weapons in the memorial to the genocide victims of Rwanda. The gift was given by Pasteur Bizimungu, President of the Republic of Rwanda on March 25th, 1998. In the collection of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.

President Pasteur Bizimungu and First Lady Serafina Bizimungu of Rwanda gave a scale model of a memorial to victims of the genocide in Rwanda to President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. This sculpture is carved from libuyu wood, a relative of mahogany native to the region.

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President Clinton commented on how President Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela’s time in the Robben Island prison was important to democracy in South Africa:

“And I think everyone knows that the most important reason for our success is President Mandela. His emergence from his many years on Robben Island is one of the true heroic stories of the 20th century. And more importantly, he emerged not in anger but in hope, passion, determination to put things right in a spirit of reconciliation and harmony. Not only here but all over the world, people, especially young people, have been moved by the power of his example.”

The President’s News Conference with President Mandela, 3/27/1998
President Clinton and President Nelson Mandela stand behind bars in the Cell Block B in the Robben Island prison that once held Nelson Mandela.
President Clinton and President Nelson Mandela looking out from the Cell Block B Prison bars on Robben Island in South Africa, March 27, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.
View in the National Archives Catalog
President Clinton and President Nelson Mandela looking out from the Cell Block B Prison bars on Robben Island in South Africa, March 27, 1998, Photographer: Sharon Farmer.
The flag of the South African in the shape of butterfly was handpainted on an ostrichon ostrich egg. On right side of the butterfly reads, “Free as a Butterfly.”
Butterfly with the South African flag hand painted on ostrich egg. It was a gift to President Clinton from Race Minnar in Johannesburg, South Africa from March 26th to 29th, 1998. In the collection of the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.
Butterfly with the South African flag hand painted on ostrich egg. It was a gift to President Clinton from Race Minnar in Johannesburg, South Africa from March 26th to 29th, 1998. In the collection of the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.

While in South Africa, President Clinton was given a decorative ostrich egg hand-painted with the image of a butterfly in the colors of the South African flag and the words, “Free as a Butterfly”.

President Clinton also received a carved mahogany sculpture depicting a seated African chieftain wearing a goatskin cape and holding a staff and a gourd.

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The carved mahogany sculpture, titled "Old Man from Kenya,'' depicts a seated African chieftan wearing a goatskin cape, holding a staff, a tuft of fur, and with a gourd attached to his right arm.
The carved mahogany sculpture, titled "Old Man from Kenya,'' depicts a seated African chieftan wearing a goatskin cape, holding a staff, a tuft of fur, and with a gourd attached to his right arm. Mary Njunge of Johannesburg, South Africa gave this sculpture to President Clinton and the First Lady Hillary Clinton. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.
The carved mahogany sculpture, titled "Old Man from Kenya,'' depicts a seated African chieftan wearing a goatskin cape, holding a staff, a tuft of fur, and with a gourd attached to his right arm. Mary Njunge of Johannesburg, South Africa gave this sculpture to President Clinton and the First Lady Hillary Clinton. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.

“And together, we can protect this fragile Earth for future generations. Visitors to Botswana will never forget the beauty of your environment. Tomorrow Hillary and I will have the great pleasure of visiting Chobe ourselves. You have been blessed with abundant resources, but none of those is more precious than your people.”

President Clinton, Remarks at a Reception in Gaborone, Botswana, 3/29/1998
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wave from the back of a truck. In the distance of the photograph is a herd of elephants. One elephant bathes in a body of water.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wave from the back of a truck while on a safari at Chobe National Game Park in Kasane, Botswana, March 20, 1998, Photographer: Ralph Alswang.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton wave from the back of a truck while on a safari at Chobe National Game Park in Kasane, Botswana, March 20, 1998, Photographer: Ralph Alswang.
Photograph. Color. Aerial view of Okavango delta. Matted, framed: 45" x 36"
Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, gave President Clinton the gift of this framed aerial photograph of Okavango Delta in Botswana.
Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, gave President Clinton the gift of this framed aerial photograph of Okavango Delta in Botswana.


President Ketumile Masire and First Lady Gladys Olebile Masire gifted this photograph of the Okavango Delta and gold silhouette of the delta to the Clintons during their visit to Botswana. President and Lady Masire also gave gold and diamond jewelry to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton.

Paper thin gold colored metal sculpture in shape of the Okavango Delta in Botswana, Africa.
The paper thin gold sculpture is shaped of the Okavango Delta in Botswana in Africa. It was a gift given from Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, to President William J. Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of the collection at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
The paper thin gold sculpture is shaped of the Okavango Delta in Botswana in Africa. It was a gift given from Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, to President William J. Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of the collection at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
Decorated gold pot with diamond band in center earrings
A set of the gold decorative pot earrings was the gift from Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of the collection at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.
A set of the gold decorative pot earrings was the gift from Ketumile Masire, President of Botswana, and Lady Masire, First Lady of Botswana, to First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. Part of the collection at the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum.

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President Clinton received this stone sculpture of two slaves chained together at their necks while in Senegal.

“Here, on this tiny island in the Atlantic Ocean, Africa and America meet. From here, Africa expands to the east, its potential for freedom and progress as great as its landmass. And to the west, over the horizon, lies America, a thriving democracy built, as President Diouf said, through centuries of sacrifice. Long after the slave ships stopped sailing from this place to America, Goree Island, still today, looks out onto the New World, connecting two continents, standing as a vivid reminder that for some of America's ancestors the journey to America was anything but a search for freedom, and yet still a symbol of the bright new era of partnership between our peoples.”

-President Clinton, Remarks at Goree Island, 4/2/1998
Grey stone w/ two slaves chained together at their necks with very large chain links. One seated behind the other, both facing a stone rendering of the continent of Africa w/ a "?" raised on it. Stone base w/ "AMADOU NIANG - JUNIOR" carved on one side, "SENEGAL 31 03 98" carved on the other.
The grey stone sculpture of “African Question”, consists of two kneeling slaves chained together at their necks with gigantic chain links One sits behind the other, both facing a stone rendering of Africa with a bold question mark. It was a gift to President Clinton from a private citizen in Senegal from April 1st to 2nd 1998. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
The grey stone sculpture of “African Question”, consists of two kneeling slaves chained together at their necks with gigantic chain links One sits behind the other, both facing a stone rendering of Africa with a bold question mark. It was a gift to President Clinton from a private citizen in Senegal from April 1st to 2nd 1998. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
8" Bronze statue featuring two men sitting on a bench. One man has his arm around the other. Figures are elongated.
Mohamed Fadel Gueye, Director of La Galerie Art Negre, gave this gift to President Clinton during his visit in Senegal from April 1st to 2nd, 1998. This gift is a 8” bronze statue that features two elongated men sitting together on a bench. One man has his arm hanging upon the other man’s shoulder. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.
Mohamed Fadel Gueye, Director of La Galerie Art Negre, gave this gift to President Clinton during his visit in Senegal from April 1st to 2nd, 1998. This gift is a 8” bronze statue that features two elongated men sitting together on a bench. One man has his arm hanging upon the other man’s shoulder. Part of the William J. Clinton Presidential Library & Museum collection.

President Clinton was also given a bronze sculpture of two men seated on a bench. One man has his arm around the other.

Also during the visit, President Abdou Diouf and First Lady Elisabeth Diouf of Senegal gave President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton a tempera painting depicting a woman, young girl, and a young boy.

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Tempera painting of “Lampe Fall” featuring one lady in foreground and behind her two children
President Abdou Diouf and First Lady Elisabeth Diouf of Senegal gave President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton this painting during the visit in Senegal. The framed tempera painting of “Lampe Fall” features one lady dressed in multicolored gown, metallic gold jewelry and circular rainbow headwear in the foreground and behind her are a young girl in a rich colorful dress and a young boy in white gown and a black beret. Part of the collection at the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum
President Abdou Diouf and First Lady Elisabeth Diouf of Senegal gave President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton this painting during the visit in Senegal. The framed tempera painting of “Lampe Fall” features one lady dressed in multicolored gown, metallic gold jewelry and circular rainbow headwear in the foreground and behind her are a young girl in a rich colorful dress and a young boy in white gown and a black beret. Part of the collection at the Clinton Presidential Library & Museum

During President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s trip to Africa in 1998, Congress was considering the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA). During the trip, President Clinton aimed to show Congress that Africa and the United States were ready to be partners in shared prosperity.

National Security Advisor Samuel “Sandy” Berger accompanied the President during this historic trip. Upon his return to Washington D.C., Berger compiled the lessons the participants had learned. These lessons learned showed the promise of the African trade bill that later became the African Growth and Opportunity Act. In September 1998, President Clinton made passage of the bill a top legislative priority to support African nations aiming for democracy and free markets.

In March 1999, the Clinton Administration called upon Congress to “expand opportunities in the United States and Africa by passing the Africa Growth and Opportunity Act.” In May 2000, President Clinton signed the African Growth and Opportunity Act and it has since formed the legislative basis for the United States’ trade with African nations.

Black and white photo. President Clinton meets with Genocide Survivors and Future Builders in Kigali, Rwanda
President Clinton meets with Genocide Survivors and Future Builders in Kigali, Rwanda, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Robert McNeely.
President Clinton meets with Genocide Survivors and Future Builders in Kigali, Rwanda, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Robert McNeely.

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See below for additional information on President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s trip to Africa from March 22 to April 2, 1998.

Cloth. Batik on light purple ground, with dark purple diamond design surprinted between metallic gold zig-zag running pattern.
This bolt of batik cloth was one of the gifts from Abdou Diouf, President of the Republic of Senegal, and Elisabeth Diouf, First Lady of Senegal, to President William J.Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is made of sotiba simpafric and consists of dark purple diamond surprinted between metallic god zig zag patterns on light purple ground. Part of the William J. Clinton Library & Museum collection.
This bolt of batik cloth was one of the gifts from Abdou Diouf, President of the Republic of Senegal, and Elisabeth Diouf, First Lady of Senegal, to President William J.Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. It is made of sotiba simpafric and consists of dark purple diamond surprinted between metallic god zig zag patterns on light purple ground. Part of the William J. Clinton Library & Museum collection.

Students should review the exhibit titled “President Clinton’s Trip to Africa, 1998” before completing any of the following assignments. Students may work individually or in groups.

Option One

Students should review this online exhibit and select a gift given to the President or First Lady by the leader of a foreign country. These gifts are referred to as foreign heads of state gifts. Students should research the country of origin and answer the following questions. How does this gift represent the country? Does the gift say something about the country’s past, national symbols, or economy? Does the gift say something about policy issues in Africa in 1998? Policy issues can include the shared history of the United States and Africa, the environment, trade, and the empowerment of women. Students should share their research with the class through multimedia presentations (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), websites, posters, or exhibit boards.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

What gifts should students give to foreign leaders visiting their community? What does the students’ gift to the foreign leaders say about their community? Students should identify one or more gifts and make a multimedia presentation (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), website, poster, or exhibit board that illustrates what their gift to foreign leaders says about their community.

Option Two

Students should use the resources in this exhibit to learn about the origins of the African Growth and Opportunity Act (also known as AGOA or the African Trade Bill).  These resources can include President Clinton’s speech remarks, Samuel Berger’s talking points for remarks on Africa, April 13, 1998 (namely page 58), and digitized documents on the African Growth and Opportunity Act. Students give an oral report or complete a writing assignment that outlines how the Clinton administration gained support for passage of AGOA in 2000.  The outline may include points on the legislation’s objectives, US Congressional support, support from African leadership, and AGOA’s proposed impact on the peoples of Africa and the United States.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

Students or teams conduct research into possible benefits of international trade in their own community. Students work together as a class to compile their ideas into a proposal on how to improve international trade locally and present it to city or county government officials.

Option Three

Students should review the archived website on  “President Clinton’s Trip to Africa”. The 1998 trip to Africa was the first time White House photographers covered a Presidential foreign trip on the Internet through digital photography. How does this archived website display and update the digital photographs from the President’s trip to Africa in 1998? How could the White House currently promote  Presidential foreign trips with more recent advances in technology and media? Students give an oral report or complete a writing assignment answering these questions on the role of digital photography in the White House.

Extension Activity/Informed Action Component:

Students should present their results with the class through multimedia presentations (such as PowerPoint, Prezi, or iMovie), websites, posters, or exhibit boards.

President Clinton and Uganda President Yoweri Kaguta stand at the Entebbe Airport. They are greeted by dancing individuals in bright clothing. A brightly colored umbrella is raised in the background. Air Force One can bee seen in the background.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton arrive at Entebbe Airport in Uganda and are met by President Yoweri Kaguta, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Barbara Kinney.
President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton arrive at Entebbe Airport in Uganda and are met by President Yoweri Kaguta, March 25, 1998, Photographer: Barbara Kinney.