State dinner honoring Kenya showcases country star Brad Paisley and gospel music

By Will Weissert, The Associated Press on May 23, 2024.

WASHINGTON (AP) – The White House is throwing one of its biggest-ever state dinners for Kenyan President William Ruto and leaning in to the African leader’s tastes by showcasing two uniquely American types of music: gospel and country.

The dinner Thursday night in a pavilion erected on the South Lawn is featuring performances by country star Brad Paisley and the gospel choir of Howard University in Washington. The menu includes fruitwood-smoked beef short ribs, poached lobster, chilled heirloom tomato soup and a white chocolate basket.

It’s the first White House state dinner for an African nation since 2008, and President Joe Biden is expecting up to 500 guests. It’s the sixth and largest of the state dinners his administration has hosted.

The festivities are part of the administration’s efforts to build ties with Africa.

Biden failed to keep a promise to visit the continent last year, but this week he said he plans to visit “in February, after I’m reelected” – a show of optimism about his prospects in November’s election.

State dinners are a key tool of U.S, diplomacy reserved for America’s top allies. This one is coming at a delicate time for Washington’s relationship with Africa, following a coup in Niger where the military government has ordered U.S. troops to withdraw from that country, and amid efforts by China and Russia to expand their African political and economic influence.

Ruto is on a three-day state visit as his East African nation prepares to deploy forces to Haiti, part of U.N.-led effort to try to calm a spiraling security crisis there.

First lady Jill Biden said the dinner entertainment was chosen to honor Ruto and his wife, Rachel’s “love of gospel and country music.”

Gospel music has its origins in the American South, and grew out of musical traditions of Africa and hymns enslaved people sang. Country music’s roots trace to the American South and West, and were influenced by a variety of sounds, including Appalachian, folk and African music.

The dinner’s decor features fuchsia and purple African orchids and American roses. That’s a pairing that symbolizes enduring U.S.-Kenyan friendship, the first lady said, while recalling her own visit to Kenya as part of a five-day, two-country 2023 African tour.

The setting in a transparent pavilion was meant to give guests a view of the sun setting and the Washington Monument. More than 1,000 candles were placed along the pavilion walls, while a suspended centerpiece with 15,000 layered reflective metallic strips was there to amplify the candlelight.

Kenya last had a White House state dinner in 2003. No African nation has had one since President George W. Bush honored Ghana President John Kufuor five years after that.

“It is long overdue,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said.

The Bidens previously hosted post-pandemic state dinners for France, South Korea and India – which featured the Biden administration’s previous attendance high of nearly 400 guests – as well as for Australia in October and Japan last month.

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