Brotherly connection to China

SHENZHEN: Mark Okoth Obama Ndesandjo is getting used to being associated with his half brother, US President Barack Obama, but he aims to chart his own course.

"It's certainly changed my life since his election, but I just want to focus on my important things," Ndesandjo, a resident of Shenzhen for seven years, told China Daily recently.

Those things include playing piano, practicing Chinese calligraphy, writing and teaching children at a local charity house. Those tasks are "as important as breathing", he said.

Describing China as a "turning place" - a place where he sees things in a different way and discovers new things every day - Ndesandjo said his brother's visit to China can help Obama and members of his administration better understand the country, the people and its culture.

"I would like to share my views with my brother when he comes to Beijing," Ndesandjo said. "Chinese people are very gentle, soft, generous and hospitable. They know the true way to welcome people from other countries sincerely."

Meanwhile, Ndesandjo hopes to introduce his Chinese wife, a native of Henan province and a big fan of Obama, during the president's visit.

Bearing a resemblance to Obama, Ndesandjo is slim and energetic. He often wears a bandana.

He enjoys speaking in Chinese, using Chinese proverbs and literary quotations. So far, he has passed Level 7 of Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi (HSK), China's only standardized test of Mandarin proficiency for non-native speakers. It is an intermediate stage of competency.

Learning Chinese is among the motives that drove him to China in 2002. He acknowledged that mastering a new tongue is among the biggest challenges he has encountered while living in the country.

The other attraction is China's culture. A Dream of the Red Mansion, gave him a deep insight into Chinese customs and traditions through the profound descriptions in the Qing Dynasty novel. He plans to re-read it.

"The Chinese have a strong sense of family. I feel really comfortable here," he said.

Family is of prime importance to Ndesandjo, though many memories of his own upbringing, particularly his early years in Kenya, are unpleasant. He recounted abuse at the hands of his late father, Barack Obama Sr., also father of the US president.

Ndesandjo's mother, Ruth Nidesand, Obama Sr.'s third wife and an American, was often beaten by her husband when he got drunk, Ndesandjo said. Ndesandjo and Obama Sr. eventually divorced amid allegations of domestic abuse. Nidesand returned to the US, where she married a man whose surname was taken by Ndesandjo.

The incurable hurt of family violence to a child is one theme of his book Nairobi to Shenzhen, a semi-autobiographical meditation on family, multiculturalism and love.

Ndesandjo, who works as a marketing consultant, recently completed the book, which covers his life in Kenya and United States. He plans to publish the book, which provides a fuller account of his family background and ties, in the next several months.

But rather than dwell on painful memories, he prefers to devote his energy to bring warmth, confidence and love to orphaned and disadvantaged children in the local charity house, where he has taught every week for seven years.

"The spirit of love can be passed on," said Ndesandjo. "Sometimes people have a loving heart, but they do need some guidance to turn it into action."

He will donate 15 percent of the proceeds from the book to charity.

In January Ndesandjo played piano in a concert that raised money for orphans. He is also preparing for a charity piano concert next spring.

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