President Obama urged African leaders from across the continent Tuesday to fight corruption, violence and human rights violations in a long and winding speech in which he also pointed out the shortcomings of some countries' leaders, including the Ethiopian and Kenyan hosts of his five-day trip to East Africa.
As the first U.S. president to address the 54 nations of the African Union, Obama switched between preaching, cajoling and even joking to make his case for democratic reforms that he argued are crucial to the rise of the continent.
“Africa’s progress will depend on democracy because Africans, like people everywhere, deserve the dignity of being in control of their own lives,” Obama said.