Governor General Michaelle Jean enjoyed a unique welcome to Algeria at the weekend when she was greeted by a host of young girls cheerfully singing from the rooftops in an ancient kasbah. It was just one of many moving moments that have touched the Canadian dignitary since she arrived in Africa for a three-week official state visit.
"At last I've made it to Africa," she said, "I have been waiting for this moment my entire life." Jean, the Haitian-born descendant of slaves, said she found her trip "especially meaningful and emotional." "I am delighted that my first state visits have brought me to this continent - to which I feel forever bound by history, by heart, by blood," she added during a state luncheon hosted by President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.
During her former career as a TV journalist Ms Jean had hosted documentaries on Africa, but had never visited the continent herself. Upon her arrival at the airport on Sunday, she was immediately made to feel at home by a brass band playing her country's national anthem, O Canada, while Canadian flags had been erected for several kilometres along the highway into town.
The Governor General's four-day stay in Algeria, which attracted huge press interest - as well as the attention of many curious schoolchildren, who gathered to get a closer look at the high-profile visitor - is to be followed by stops in Mali, Ghana, Morocco and South Africa.
Photo: Canadian Press
Photo: Canadian Press
