On Monday June 20th, First Lady Michelle Obama began her first official state visit to Africa. Accompanied by her family, sans her husband U.S. President Barack Obama, Michelle hopes to use this trip to strengthen diplomatic relations between the United States and Africa- a continent whose people have felt neglected under Obama's presidency. Mrs. Obama, who is a huge supporter of women's rights, hopes to engage the young women of Africa to promote equality and progress.

After landing at Waterkloof Air Force Base in Pretoria, the administrative and de facto national capital of South Africa, Mrs. Obama, her daughters Sasha and Malia, and her mother Marian Robinson, commenced their five-day trip.

The White House blog will be updating the First Lady's progress, posting links, photos and blog posts of the trip; you can follow along at, http://www.whitehouse.gov/youngafrica .

You can also track her trip on Facebook and Twitter by using the #YoungAfrica hashtag. Because her visit will focus so much on the youth in Africa, networks like MTV and BET are covering Mrs. Obama's visit. Check their websites for special shows and coverage.

For more in depth coverage of her first days, click here.

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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (R) and daughters Sasha (C) and Malia take turns reading to children from "The Cat in the Hat" by Dr. Seuss as they visit the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. REUTERS
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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (3rd R) and daughters Sasha (2nd R) and Malia (R) visit the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. REUTERS
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U.S. first lady Michelle Obama (L), her mother Marian Robinson (back facing camera), daughters Malia (2nd L) and Sasha (3rd L), nephew Avery Robinson (4th L), and niece Leslie Robinson dance with children and caretakers as they visit the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, June 21, 2011. U.S. first lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to former South African President Nelson Mandela on Tuesday, kicking off her own symbolic trip to Africa by meeting one of the continent's most revered leaders. REUTERS
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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama meets children as she visits the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. REUTERS
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Marian Robinson (C), mother of U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (L), takes a bow after they danced with children during a visit to the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. Pictured at rear from left to right: Daughters Malia and Sasha; nephew Avery Robinson and niece Leslie Robinson. REUTERS
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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama walks with children as she visits the Emthonjeni Community Center in Zandspruit Township, Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. Also seen at rear are daughters Sasha and Malia Obama, mother Marian Robinson, niece Leslie Robinson and nephew Avery Robinson. REUTERS
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U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama (2nd L) and daughters Sasha (C) and Malia (R) visit the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg, South Africa June 21, 2011. REUTERS
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