When Kenyan-born Mark Obama Ndesandjo first met his half-brother, Barack Obama, one of his initial impressions was that the man who would go on to become president of the United States was just “too black,” he said, in an interview with Newsmax.
“When we met in ’88, he was very much influenced by African nationalists and also at the same time had strong opinions about the roles of independence,” Mr. Ndesandjo said, to Newsmax TV, describing some of the issues that he explored in his book, “Cultures: My Odyssey of Self-Discovery,” about his growing years.
“I mentioned in my book that I felt that he thought that I was too white and I felt he was too black,” he said. “He had been raised in white America and I think he was looking for his African roots as a cultural journey. … I wanted to explore my western roots. I felt at that point, we had different points of view.”
Mr. Ndesandjo also said the two had contrasting views of their father — Mr. Obama “really admired him,” he said, to Newsmax.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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