VOA新闻杂志2023--Jill Biden Visits Africa for First Time as First Lady

Jill Biden Visits Africa for First Time as First Lady

Jill Biden arrived in Namibia Wednesday for her first visit to Africa as first lady, the wife of U.S. President Joe Biden.

Biden's trip will bring attention to women's rights, children's issues and food insecurity.

Judd Devermont is senior director for African Affairs with the U.S. National Security Council. On Tuesday, he told reporters: "Dr. Biden's trip builds on last year's U.S.- Africa Leaders' summit and as another demonstration² of President Biden's commitment that the United States is all-in on Africa..."

With this visit, Jill Biden is also the first first lady to visit Namibia since the southwest African nation became independent in 1990.

National Security Council spokesperson Becky Farmer said Biden will bring attention to the food security crisis in the Horn of Africa. The area is having the "worst drought that this region has experienced" in many years, she said. Farmer added that over 20 million people are experiencing food insecurity in the area.

President Biden discussed the situation in December when he announced aid for the area at the African Leaders summit in Washington. He discussed it again Tuesday while talking about the effects of Russia's war in Ukraine on world food supplies.

"Putin tried to starve the world," he said. President Biden accused the Russian leader of blocking ports on the Black Sea and preventing Ukraine from exporting grain to Africa.

"And this week my wife, Jill Biden, is traveling to Africa to help bring attention to this critical issue," Biden said.

The Biden administration is making efforts to get Africa to support Ukraine instead of Russia. Treasury³ Secretary Janet Yellen recently visited Senegal, Zambia and South Africa. Russia's foreign minister has visited many African nations with ties to Russia like Mali, Sudan and Angola.

China sent its new foreign minister to Africa for his first overseas trip. Observers say it is a sign of China's interest in Africa.

Warm receptions are normal

Presidential-spouse⁴ visits are different from the strategic policy moves of the presidency⁵. Jill Biden herself points out that she is not an official of the U.S. government.

"As spouses⁶, we serve the people of our countries, too. Don't we?" she said in December, at a gathering⁷ of spouses of African leaders.

U.S. first ladies are generally well received in Africa, said Katherine Jellison. Jellison is a professor of U.S. women's history at Ohio University.

"There's just going to be warmer feelings toward a nonpolitician who's visiting than a politician," she said.

First lady Laura Bush was welcomed during her several visits to Africa. She supported the programs of her husband George W. Bush's administration, which aimed to fight HIV/AIDS and malaria⁸. She also attended the swearing in of the Africa's first female president, Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, in 2006.

The first Black first lady Michelle Obama's travel to Africa was filled with deep meaning. She used her trips to push for girls' education.

Jill Biden visited Africa five times when her husband was vice⁹ president. In 2011 she visited Africa's largest refugee camp at Dadaab in Kenya. During a speech there, she made a plea she may repeat on this trip.

"Mothers are bringing their children from Somalia, walking sometimes 15, 20, 25 days and they lose their children along the way, the children die," she said. "So what I'm asking is for Americans just to help ... because the situation here is dire¹."

Words in This Story

summit — n. a meeting of high-level leaders

commitment — n. a promise to do or give something

drought — n. a lengthy¹⁰ period of little or no rain

region — n. an area of a country or the world that is different from others for some reason

spouse — n. someone who is married

strategic — adj. related to a plan or goal that is large and extends over a long period of time

plea — n. a serious or emotional request

dire — adj. very bad, a cause for worry

1 dire   

adj.可怕的，悲惨的，阴惨的，极端的

参考例句：

• There were dire warnings about the dangers of watching too much TV.曾经有人就看电视太多的危害性提出严重警告。
• We were indeed in dire straits.But we pulled through.那时我们的困难真是大极了，但是我们渡过了困难。

2 demonstration   

n.表明，示范，论证，示威

参考例句：

• His new book is a demonstration of his patriotism.他写的新书是他的爱国精神的证明。
• He gave a demonstration of the new technique then and there.他当场表演了这种新的操作方法。

3 treasury   

n.宝库；国库，金库；文库

参考例句：

• The Treasury was opposed in principle to the proposals.财政部原则上反对这些提案。
• This book is a treasury of useful information.这本书是有价值的信息宝库。

4 spouse   

n.配偶(指夫或妻)

参考例句：

• Her spouse will come to see her on Sunday.她的丈夫星期天要来看她。
• What is the best way to keep your spouse happy in the marriage?在婚姻中保持配偶幸福的最好方法是什么？

5 presidency   

n.总统(校长，总经理)的职位(任期)

参考例句：

• Roosevelt was elected four times to the presidency of the United States.罗斯福连续当选四届美国总统。
• Two candidates are emerging as contestants for the presidency.两位候选人最终成为总统职位竞争者。

6 spouses   

n.配偶，夫或妻( spouse的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Jobs are available for spouses on campus and in the community. 校园里和社区里有配偶可做的工作。 来自辞典例句
• An astonishing number of spouses-most particularly in the upper-income brackets-have no close notion of their husbands'paychecks. 相当大一部分妇女——特别在高收入阶层——并不很了解他们丈夫的薪金。 来自辞典例句

7 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

8 malaria   

n.疟疾

参考例句：

• He had frequent attacks of malaria.他常患疟疾。
• Malaria is a kind of serious malady.疟疾是一种严重的疾病。

9 vice   

n.坏事；恶习；[pl.]台钳，老虎钳；adj.副的

参考例句：

• He guarded himself against vice.他避免染上坏习惯。
• They are sunk in the depth of vice.他们堕入了罪恶的深渊。

10 lengthy   

adj.漫长的，冗长的

参考例句：

• We devoted a lengthy and full discussion to this topic.我们对这个题目进行了长时间的充分讨论。
• The professor wrote a lengthy book on Napoleon.教授写了一部有关拿破仑的巨著。