The only African-American member of the United States Senate has begun a two-week tour of Africa.
On Sunday, Senator Barack Obama visited the South African island where Nelson Mandela was imprisioned during his long fight against apartheid.
Obama said the visit to Robben Island made him realize that everyday worries in the U.S. are "fairly trivial" compared to the struggle Mandela and other inmates went through.
Monday, Obama met with another anti-apartheid hero, South African archbishop Desmond Tutu, in Cape Town.
Obama is due to visit his father's home country of Kenya as well as Congo and Chad during the trip. He told reporters today that he will probably get an HIV test while in Kenya, in order to promote AIDS-prevention awareness.
Obama was elected to the U.S. Senate in November 2004, representing the U.S. state of Illinois.