Rita Auma Obama (born 1960), is a Kenyan-British community activist, sociologist, journalist, author, and half-sister of the 44th

president of the United States The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States of America. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United Stat ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

. Obama serves as the executive chairwoman of Sauti Kuu Foundation (Strong Voices Foundation), a

non-profit organisation A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

that helps orphans and other young people struggling with poverty in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Background and education

Auma Obama is the daughter of

Barack Obama Sr. Barack Hussein Obama Sr. (; 18 June 1934 – 24 November 1982) was a Kenyan senior governmental economist and the father of Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States. He is a central figure of his son's memoir, '' Dreams from My Fa ...

and his first wife, Kezia Obama (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Aoko). She is the older

half-sister A sibling is a relative that shares at least one parent with the subject. A male sibling is a brother and a female sibling is a sister. A person with no siblings is an only child. While some circumstances can cause siblings to be raised separat ...

. After attending local elementary and secondary schools, she secured a scholarship to attend university in Germany. She studied

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

Heidelberg University } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

from 1981 until 1987. After her graduation from Heidelberg, she went on for graduate studies at the

University of Bayreuth A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

, graduating with a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree in 1996. She also studied at the German Film and Television Academy in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

. Obama's final project at the Film Academy was the twenty-minute film ''All That Glitters'' (1993), which blends genre conventions in depicting the vulnerability of black lives in post-unification Germany.

Life after school

Obama lived in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

after her studies. While there, she helped her mother, Kezia, to relocate from Kenya to the UK. Kezia was granted British citizenship in 2011. In 1996, Obama married an

Englishman The English people are an ethnic group and nation native to England, who speak the English language, a West Germanic language, and share a common history and culture. The English identity is of Anglo-Saxon origin, when they were known in ...

, Ian Manners. They are the parents of Akinyi Manners (born 1997). Obama and Manners divorced in 2000. In 2007, Obama and Akinyi relocated to Kenya. Obama worked for five years in Kenya with the international charity organisation

CARE International CARE (Cooperative for Assistance and Relief Everywhere, formerly Cooperative for American Remittances to Europe) is a major international humanitarian agency delivering emergency relief and long-term international development projects. Founded i ...

before starting her own charity, Sauti Kuu Foundation, sometimes referred to as ''Auma Obama Foundation''. In 2021 she danced in the German dance show '' Let's Dance'', the German version of ''

Dancing with the Stars ''Dancing with the Stars'' is the name of various international television series based on the format of the British TV series '' Strictly Come Dancing'', which is distributed by BBC Studios, the commercial arm of the BBC. Currently the forma ...

''. She reached 5th place.

Other considerations

In 2011, Obama was interviewed for

Turk Pipkin Turk Pipkin (born July 2, 1953) is an author, actor, comedian and director. He is also the co-founder of The Nobelity Project, a non-profit organisation which seeks to find solutions to global problems, and which advocates for basic rights for chi ...

's documentary ''

Building Hope ''Building Hope'' is a film by Turk and Christy Pipkin. It was produced by The Nobelity Project and premiered on March 12 at the 2011 South by Southwest festival in Austin, Texas. It is the sequel to the film ''One Peace at a Time''. Summary Afte ...

'' and was the subject of a German documentary film ''

The Education of Auma Obama ''The Education of Auma Obama'' is a 2011 German documentary on the life of Barack Obama's half-sister Auma Obama. It won the ''Best Diaspora Documentary'' Award at the Africa Movie Academy Awards. It was directed by Branwen Okpako Prof. Branwe ...

''. In 2017, Obama was honoured with the fourth International TÜV Rheinland Global Compact Award in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

. At the award ceremony, she received a specially made bronze sculpture ''Der Griff nach den Sternen'' (Reaching for the stars) by artist

Hannes Helmke Hannes Helmke (born 10 May 1967 in Heidelberg) is a German sculptor creating bronze sculptures. Life After an education in wood sculpture, Helmke attended postgraduate studies in free art at the Alanus University of Arts and Social Sciences in ...

. Obama is the author of the book ''And Then Life Happens'', released in 2012 by

St. Martin's Press St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in Manhattan, New York City, in the Equitable Building. St. Martin's Press is considered one of the largest English-language publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under si ...

. Obama is a member of the

World Future Council The World Future Council (WFC) is a German non-profit foundation with its headquarters in Hamburg. It works to pass on a healthy and sustainable planet with just and peaceful societies to future generations. FuturePolicy.org The website f ...

. She is also a member of the board of trustees of the Germany 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 the

patron Patronage is the support, encouragement, privilege, or financial aid that an organization or individual bestows on another. In the history of art, arts patronage refers to the support that kings, popes, and the wealthy have provided to artists su ...

of the International Storymoja Festivals in Kenya. She is also the initiator of the Sauti Kuu Act Now Awards.

References

External links

Profile at the Auma Obama Foundation (Sauti Kuu Foundation)

As of 3 July 2018. {{DEFAULTSORT:Obama, Auma Living people 1960 births Kenyan women in politics Kenyan journalists Heidelberg University alumni University of Bayreuth alumni Obama family Kenyan emigrants to the United Kingdom