Barack Obama returns

Chicago, United States | AFP |  Having largely remained silent since Donald Trump succeeded him as US president in January, Barack Obama will make his first public appearance on Monday in his adopted hometown of Chicago.

The former president will participate in a discussion with students from Chicago schools on community organizing and civic engagement at the University of Chicago, Obama’s office announced on Friday.

It was in Chicago that the first black president of the United States made his farewell speech a few days before leaving the White House.

Moved to tears while paying tribute to his wife Michelle, Obama also launched a call for vigilance, urging Americans to be actors in the democratic process.

“Democracy can buckle when we give in to fear,” he said. “Our democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted.”

The university is also where Obama taught law before running for political office, and his planned presidential library will be under the institution’s auspices.