President Barack Obama’s Shenzhen-based half brother announced today that he will be releasing a book, some of which will chronicle the abuse at the hands of the President’s father, Barack Obama Sr. At a press conference in Guangzhou today, Obama Ndesandjo announced the book will be self-published and released in February.
Mark Obama Ndesandjo has resided in Shenzhen for 12 years and is married to a Chinese national. Parts of his early life were spent with the more famous Obama, and in his book, he challenges some of the details laid out in the president’s 1995 memoir Dreams From My Father.
Obama Ndesandjo resembles Barack Obama in appearance and shared intermittent but intense periods of his life with him. In 2009, Obama Ndesandjo published a semi-autobiographical novel, Cultures: My Odyssey of Self-Discovery, in which the father figure character was partially based on Obama Sr.
He acknowledges that his writing has damaged his relationship with his family and that he has not seen Barack Obama for years. “Right now [the relationship is] cold and I think part of the reason is because of my writing. My writing has alienated some people in my family."
Obama Ndesandjo moved to Shenzhen to teach after losing his job in the economic crash following the September 11 attacks. He has learned to speak Chinese and has immersed himself in local culture, including practicing Chinese calligraphy. He now works as a consultant and speaker.
Some profits from the book will go to charity, including Obama Ndesandjo’s own charity, which uses art to help disabled children.
[Image via NPR]
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