Inside Kenyan School Where Everything Is Named Barack Obama
In Obama's family village, the schoolchildren are named for him.
NAIROBI, Kenya -- Barack Obama is a fairly unique name in the United States, but there’s one place here in Kenya where it's very common.
In the village of Kogelo, where Obama’s father was born and buried, two schools are named after the younger Obama -- the Senator Obama Kogelo Primary School and Senator Obama Kogelo Secondary School.
The schools were dedicated to Obama back when he was an Illinois senator, and his success has inspired many families to name their sons after him -- like 7-year-old Barack Obama Okoth, who attends the primary school.
In a recent interview conducted by the BBC, nearly an entire class of 60 students at the secondary school raised their hands when asked if they’d want to be named after the president, whom many in Kenya consider their native son.
At the primary and secondary schools, the Obama name can be seen on children’s pencils, books and even backpacks.
The Kogelo village, along with the rest of Kenya, holds immense pride for Obama, whose ancestry lies in their country.
As he becomes the first sitting American president to visit Kenya this week, American flags are flying next to Kenyan flags and murals and billboards bearing Obama’s image pepper the nation’s capital.
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