Young Ghanaian who waved at the Clintons from a distance talks to Hillary 20 years after

A young man who experienced the historic moment of the visit of former United States President Bill Clinton and his wife, Hillary Clinton, has recalled the nostalgic time in a Facebook post.

This was after Larry Ibrahim Fataka met with Hillary Clinton face-to-face for the first time, some 20 plus years after that first experience from a distance on the streets of Accra. 

The two had met at the Georgetown University Institute for Women, Peace, and Security's annual Hillary Rodham Clinton Awards in Oslo, where the First Lady of Ukraine, Olena Zelenska, and Oleksandra Matviichuk, a Ukrainian human rights lawyer, a Noble Peace Prize co-winner, were honoured. 

According to thehill.com, the two women are part of four Ukrainian women to be honored at the annual awards ceremony, which Clinton, a former Secretary of State and first lady, launched in collaboration with Georgetown University in 2014.

But sharing his experience from this meeting, Larry Ibrahim Fataka said on Facebook that when he recalled his experience to Hillary Clinton, she couldn't hold back her joy, adding that she has not forgotten the experience.

"As a young boy then, I stood at the Kanda Highway at Nima 441, just behind my house, struggling to peep through a thick gathering of people. Finally, the unmistakable limo came passing, and I felt the good shiver of the euphoric moments.

"It was just in seconds, and the Limo was gone. The rest of the event, I followed on national TV.

"On Sunday, I narrated the story to Hillary in Oslo after the Nobel Peace Prize Forum 2022, and we reminiscent her visit to Ghana. According to Hillary, 'the crowd in Accra was one of the biggest I have ever seen,'" he stated.

He continued that the opportunity to meet with the former Secretary of State of the USA left him with butterflies in his stomach. 



"Meeting Hilary left butterflies in my stomach, no doubt. I was excited mainly because of her personal achievements and courage [in] up and down times. Two decades have passed since that young boy shouted her name to deafening cheers and clamours in the streets of Accra. Now, I could shake her hands, mention her name, and recall memories. 

"Our encounter leaves me with an unshakeable belief and commitment to the principles of global citizenship. "You never know who motivates you; you never know whose lives your personality and impact change," he added.

The two had met on the touchlines of the Nobel Peace Prize Forum in Oslo, which looked at the way forward of Afghanistan.

Other speakers at the event included the Foreign Minister of Norway and Miss Zarifa Ghafari - the subject of a new Netflix documentary, "In her Hands."

The documentary produced by Hillary Clinton and her daughter, Chelsea, show the everyday realities of Afghan women.

Bill and Hillary Clinton visited Ghana during the presidency of the late Flt. Lt. Jerry John Rawlings on Monday, March 23, 1998. 



AE/SEA