US First Lady Melania Trump wrapped up her visit to Kenya on Saturday morning after spending two nights in Nairobi, the longest stay in one country during her maiden solo tour of four African countries. The plane carrying the US First Lady departed Jomo Kenyatta International Airport shortly after 8am and was seen off by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta.
The US First Lady heads to Egypt on the final leg of her African tour after a packed Friday schedule that saw her visit State House Nairobi for talks with her host First Lady Margaret Kenyatta among other engagements in Nairobi.
The State House meeting focused on matters of health especially the welfare of mothers and children, a subject that is close to the hearts of the two First Ladies. First Lady Margaret Kenyatta is the patron of the transformative Beyond Zero initiative while US First Lady Melania Trump is the founder and promoter of the “Be Best” initiative designed to improve the welfare of children.
Their discussions at State House, First Lady Margaret Kenyatta gave the US First Lady a copy of Beyond Zero’s strategic framework for 2018-2022 which she launched earlier in the year.
On Friday, while visiting a safari in Nairobi National Park in Kenya — a stop on her first solo trip to Africa — FLOTUS was photographed wearing a white pith helmet, a hat most commonly associated with colonialists.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, European military personnel often wore pith helmets as they sought out colonies in Africa and Asia. The hats remained popular with those who moved to colonized countries and are seen by many as symbolic of the oppression of colonization.
Shortly after the sighting, several people called Melania out on Twitter. “Melania Trump wearing a pith helmet on her trip to ‘Africa’ is more than a silly sartorial choice. It’s a reflection of her outdated understanding of Africa,” Kim Yi Dionne, a political-science professor who specializes in African politics at the University of California, Riverside wrote.
“Also, she was photographed in safari attire multiple times on this trip,” Dionne added.