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Colin Powell Shows Off His Moves at Africa Festival
October 15, 2008 1:05 PM
By STEPHEN WEBB, ABC News London
Colin Powell may have risen to one of the highest and gravest positions in the world, but judging by his performance last night he isn’t afraid to get his groove on.
The former U.S. secretary of state surprised audiences at the Royal Albert Hall in London yesterday evening when he joined a hip-hop group onstage, even taking the microphone at one point.
Powell, the first African American to serve as secretary of state, was attending the grand finale of the Africa Rising festival, a four-city, three-nation tour to raise awareness of "sustainable solutions" for Africa using music and fashion.
Nigerian group Olu Maintain were onstage when the retired general of the U.S. army joined them in a version of the Nigerian dance Yahoozee.
Despite the surprising dance appearance, Powell had a serious message to deliver, highlighting the importance of his black identity.
According to reports, he told the audience: "I stand before you tonight as an African-American."
"Many people have said to me, you became secretary of state of the U.S.A., is it still necessary to say that you are an African-American or that you are black, and I say, Yes, so that we can remind our children.”
"It took a lot of people struggling to bring me to this point in history. I didn't just drop out of the sky, people came from my continent in chains."
Powell spoke of wrongs done to Africa by Western powers and about the future of the continent.
According to reports, he told his audience: "Asia is expanding, it created jobs for people, and Eastern Europeans are doing the same... it's now Africa's turn."
Nduka Obaigbena, the organizer of Africa Rising, told the U.K. newspaper The Times: “I never thought I would see Colin Powell dance Yahoozee. He showed that common touch.”
Pop singer Christina Aguilera and soul singer Seal performed at the event. The showcase featured fashion collections from Ozwald Boatend and Deola Sagoe.
Colin Powell was born in New York City to Jamaican parents on April 5, 1937. As a general in the U.S. Army, he served as national security adviser from 1987-89. He was chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 1989-93. Under President Bush, Powell was secretary of state from 2001-05.
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October 15, 2008 in Stephen Webb | Permalink | User Comments (50)
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Now we know why Colin Powell would not run for President or V.P.. Dancing with the stars?
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Oct 15, 2008 1:19:56 PM
I love Colin Powell. He was a great Secretary of State. I wished he had taken up Obama's offer and run for the VP slot, although I loike Biden also.
Good luck to him in all he does.
BTW, compare him to Sarah Palin...NO BRAINER!!!!
Posted by: formerhillary | Oct 15, 2008 1:25:11 PM
"I stand before you...as an African-American. People have said..you became secretary of state of the U.S.A., is it still necessary to say that you are an African-American or that you are black? I say, Yes, so that we can remind our children. It took a lot of people struggling to bring me to this point in history. I didn't just drop out of the sky, people came from my continent in chains."
Very profound statement, indeed, from an honorable man. Had Barack Obama however made that statement, can you imagine how the republicans would have jumped all over it?
Posted by: JDL | Oct 15, 2008 1:37:52 PM
Jenny Rome Ga:
Are you living in Mars!! How
many times we have seen the current
Pres. Bush dancing with different
groups including the African
dancers!
Posted by: FM | Oct 15, 2008 1:43:49 PM
Powell as VP on Obama's ticket would have been foolish and I doubt Obama even made that offer. Powell on McCain's ticket, however, would have been brilliant. Unfortunately, McCain apparently felt that would run counter to the image he was trying to portray for his ticket: unbalanced, erratic and apparently, clueless. In many ways, what Obama has achieved must make Powell proud. It's something Powell didn't want to try to do himself, but I'm sure he's glad to see that in his lifetime, an African American has been able to garner the support, admiration, love and most importantly the trust of *all* Americans from every color, race and ethnic background. Obama represents the best of the US and the re-emergence of the greatness of the American spirit that lies ahead in a new century.
Posted by: Truth17 | Oct 15, 2008 1:44:06 PM
Okay, how long will it take before Gen. Powell starts getting acused of being racist, Afro-centric, Black liberation theologist, etc. etc.? He's a great man and I do wish he would finally come out and say he endorses Obama. Not that Obama needs his endorsement at this point, but I do believe it would enhance Obama's credentials that he is qualified to be CIC.
Posted by: geecee | Oct 15, 2008 1:45:21 PM
POWELL SHOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING INSTEAD OF OBAMA
WOULD HAVE GOT MY VOTE
I DONT KNOW WHO OBAMA IS
I KNOW WHO POWELL IS
Posted by: TJ, THE CLINTONITE | Oct 15, 2008 1:46:50 PM
I wish I could get past the vision in my head of him at the UN parotting those war criminals to justify the Iraq War. For all he's done for himself, his race, and this country -- there will always be that moment in time I bet he wishes he could take back.
Posted by: hang | Oct 15, 2008 1:49:37 PM
"POWELL SHOULD HAVE BEEN RUNNING INSTEAD OF OBAMA..WOULD HAVE GOT MY VOTE..."
But this election is not supposed to be about which Black candidate you would vote for. Blacks are not cookie cutter humans with all the same ideas and thoughts. There are ideas of Gen. Powell's ideas that you might dissagree with and not all Blacks would support Gen. Powell either.
Alas, there are some people in this country who could never ever vote for Gen. Powell, either.
Posted by: JDL | Oct 15, 2008 2:08:04 PM
He says that using African American will always remind our children of their roots. At the same time it divides us as Americans. Whites aren't called European Americans. I don't think God meant for us to be seperate in the end days. That's why, in the end, we will represent a look of a combination of us all. Sometimes Colin Powell is just like McCain. Erratic and Unpredictable. Guess that comes with old age and being part of the military too long.
Posted by: Ralph | Oct 15, 2008 2:09:01 PM
"I wish I could get past the vision in my head of him at the UN parotting those war criminals to justify the Iraq War."
Or how they covered Picasso's Guernica so he could show his visuals. At least his performance at the Royal Albert Hall did not cost the lives of over one million souls. "Honorable" is not the word that comes to mind.
Posted by: caspian | Oct 15, 2008 2:09:48 PM
A AFRICAN AMERICAN FROM JAMAICA...
CHANGE IS CODE WORD FOR FLIP FLOP
Posted by: johnXdem | Oct 15, 2008 2:39:40 PM
It's important for children to also learn about the Black Slave Trade and that the white man wasn't the only culprit in the slave days. The stronger blacks put the weaker blacks into chains and sold or traded them too.
Posted by: Paula | Oct 15, 2008 2:52:56 PM
Ralph, the problem with your view is that you have an identify that can be easily traced back hundreds of years. You don't really need to "create" an identity. For us, being brought to American costs us our identity. The only reason Barack can look back is because she's half white and his father came from Africans who never left the continent. The rest of us like using the "African" in our description because it makes us "feel" like we have a culture somewhere....feel like we have a great history.
I guess you would have to be black to understand how uncomfortable it is to not have a real identity. We're not really African and we just became American around 1965 (you can't be barred from eating lunch at the counter and forced to eat it in the alley and still feel American).
It's why I have so much sorrow when people degrade Rev. J Wright. He lived through ugly times. He has ugly memories. Why can't you guys see that means he may sometimes say ugly things? His anger didn't "fall from the sky". He is of a depressed and repressed time. People like Barack and I may listen to him. The reason we don't agree because we didn't live through those injustices. That doesn't mean that we don't understand his pain. I hear the pain, still, in my parents voices when they talk of those ugly times.
I understand that you guys can't understand....you didn't walk in those shoes. I just wish you guys would stop condemning. Time does NOT heal all wounds. Ask the Jews who still have numbers tattooed on them.
Posted by: NoOneCaresAboutTheTruth | Oct 15, 2008 2:53:15 PM
TJ, THE CLINTONITE:
If you don't know who Obama is after almost two years, that already tell me how well you did in school.
Posted by: AAR | Oct 15, 2008 2:54:14 PM
FM - Face it Powell has much better style.
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Oct 15, 2008 3:07:31 PM
JDL -" But this election is not supposed to be about which Black candidate you would vote for. Blacks are not cookie cutter humans with all the same ideas and thoughts." Neither are as McCain is findling out rapidly are women! I would vote for Colin Powell for anything, anywhere, anytime. He has always seemed to be a man of great dignity, intelligence and leadership. I am sure If he were to run someone would dig up buckets of dirt on him but knowing whatI know He is still Presidential to me. That having been said OBAMA/BIDEN 08 PLEASE!!
Posted by: Jenny Rome Ga | Oct 15, 2008 3:13:22 PM
Truth17, give it a rest. I have heard Powell speak in person and he has a wonderful perspective on life..never would I, a conservative, call him a racist. He is an honorable man. If he endorsed Obama, that would get my attention. Powell is all about character and doing the right thing aside from politics, race, and rancor. If he endorses Obama, I'll vote for him. How's that for a racist Republican?
Have a nice day.
Posted by: tk774 | Oct 15, 2008 3:18:46 PM
Is there one black person on here who is voting for McCain .. if so, can you tell everyone why?
Posted by: Marcus | Oct 15, 2008 3:27:07 PM
NoOneCaresAboutTheTruth, thank you for your comment. I hope that Obama's incredible speech on race and the feelings that have bubbled up during this election will allow us all to engage in an open discourse like this. As a country, we need to talk about race, not sweep in under the rug or act like racism doesn't exist any more.
Posted by: obamamama | Oct 15, 2008 3:36:18 PM
Gansta rap should be outlawed, it's filled with hatred, racism and sexism, this sickens me to see such a VIP dancing to this so-called music.
Posted by: davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 3:46:12 PM
davectrep - shows how ignorant you are. All hip-hop music is not gansta rap. They have plenty of postive rappers out there. But only a few are highlighted. I seriously doubt a respectable man of his calibar would be dancing to gansta rap.
Posted by: Cindy from NC | Oct 15, 2008 3:58:06 PM
davectrep-excuse me but did you hear the words to what was being sung? for your information not all gansta rap fits the definition that you gave it, and for another thing colin powell was dancing and enjoying himself so get a grip! and to aar-you took the words out of my mouth!
obama/biden08
the change we need
Posted by: terryswifey | Oct 15, 2008 3:59:10 PM
You can NOT call hip-hop real Music, there is no talent in it, give us all a break Cindy, you're boring us Cindy, stop boring us.
Posted by: Davectrep | Oct 15, 2008 4:02:46 PM
This man should be taking the time to come clean about his activities within this criminal administration by either coming out with it all in an in depth interview or writing a book instead of taking up rapping. He has a lot of explaining to do still.
Posted by: Jimi | Oct 15, 2008 4:03:55 PM
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