There will be no honeymoon for Barack Obama when he becomes president of the United States. But for the traditional inaugural ball, his first days in office will be anything but a song and dance. George Washington, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Johnson, Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon Johnson all became president in trying times. The Obama ascension is only different because he is a man of colour. The US was the epicentre of the world financial crisis that began in August when its presidential campaign was in full flight. Getting the economy back on track will undoubtedly be Obama's biggest assignment.
Obama succeeds George W. Bush, an internationally unpopular figure. Restoring the United States' tarnished image abroad will be another difficult task for the former Illinois senator.
The world will watch to see if President Obama can live up to some of his campaign promises. These include closing the US military prison at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba and setting a timetable for US troop withdrawal from Iraq.
Obama will join a distinguished short list of living men and women of African ancestry who have made lasting impressions on the world stage.
Nelson Mandela:
Nelson Mandela
A true icon, Mandela inspired millions of people worldwide while imprisoned for almost 30 years in apartheid-ruled South Africa. Released in February 1990, he was elected the country's first black president in 1994. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 1993.
Kofi Annan:
Kofi Annan
Served as secretary general of the United Nations from 1997 to 2007. The Ghanaian diplomat earned international respect for his strident opposition to the United States and Britain's decision to invade Iraq without the support of the UN. Awarded Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.
Colin Powell:
Colin Powell
The son of Jamaican immigrants, Powell was the first black secretary of state (2001-05) in the United States. He served in the first term of President George W. Bush and played a pivotal role in the US invasion of Iraq.
Robert Mugabe:
Robert Mugabe
Fought as a freedom fighter in the 1970s against the racist Rhodesian regime of Ian Smith. Mugabe has been president of Zimbabwe since 1980 when that country gained independence. He has held onto power amid domestic and international cries of corruption and genocide byhis administration. Mugabe remains president, but is in an arrangementwith main opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai.
Condeleezza Rice:
Condoleezza Rice
The second female and black secretary of state in the United States. Alabama-born Rice succeeded Colin Powell, who stepped down prior to the second George W. Bush term in 2004. Rice's tenure has been mostly occupied defending the US presence in Iraq and trying to broker Middle East peace.
Thabo Mbeki:
Thabo Mbeki
Was the second president of post-apartheid South Africa. Mbeki was in office from 1999 to 2008. His main thrust was to lift Africa to a level of indepen-dence from world powers and ensure stability throughout the continent. Mbeki acted as mediator in war-torn countries such as Rwanda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Cte d'Ivoire.
Olusegun Obasanjo:
Olusegun Obasanjo
In his second tenure as Nigeria's president, Obasanjo went for transparency in government and attempted to eliminate corruption. One of the most influential African leaders of the last decade.
Desmond Tutu:
Desmond Tutu( L )
A pillar of the anti-apartheid struggle in South Africa, this diminutive Anglican priest maintains an international presence, speaking out against corruption and injustice in South Africa and neighbouring Zimbabwe. The Nobel Peace Prize winner is currently chairman of The Elders, a group of international leaders, which also includes Jimmy Carter and Nelson Mandela.
Oprah Winfrey:
Oprah Winfrey
Easily one of the most influential, and wealthiest, persons in the world. Winfrey's Oprah show has long outgrown its 'talk' format. Her Book Club has made many novels into bestsellers and she has built a school promoting higher education in South Africa. Was one of the earliest supporters of Barack Obama's presidential campaign.
Muhammad Ali:
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion, earned respect outside the ring for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. Diagnosed with Parkinson's
disease in 1984, he is a living legend and inspirational world figure. Ali, the 2001 film on his life, was a box office hit.
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf:
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf
President of Liberia and the first female head of state in Africa. Elected in late 2005, the 'Iron Lady' has vowed to make drastic changes in the war-ravaged country.
Baroness Amos:
Baroness Amos
Guyana-born Valerie Ann Amos was made Leader of the House of Lords in 2003. She was appointed secretary of state for International Development by British Prime Minister Tony Blair that year, becoming the first black woman in the British Cabinet.
Louis Farrakhan:
Louis Farrakhan has been one of the most influential and controversial black leaders in the world for more than 30 years. The longserving leader of the Nation of Islam has been a vocal critic of policies toward blacks in the United States by successive administrations. He has supported black leaders, such as Zimbabwe president Robert Mugabe, saying his land-reform policies (taking from white farmers and resettling blacks) in that country is justified. Farrakhan, whose mother is from St Kitts/Nevis and father from Jamaica, organised the Million-Man March on Washington, DC, in October 1995.
Frederick Douglass and Booker T Washington:
Freedom fighter Frederick Douglass and educator Booker T. Washington were two of the high-profile black men who held official meetings with an American president at the White House. Douglass met with Abraham Lincoln during the Civil War (1861-65), while Washington was invited to the White House in 1901 by Theodore Roosevelt. The Ku Klux Klan and other Southern hate groups were outraged by Washington's visit.