Ex-presidents and stars, but no Trump, turn out for Obama centre

All living US ex-presidents — with the notable absence of current White House occupant Donald Trump — have joined a star-studded line-up for the opening of Barack Obama's presidential centre in Chicago.

Mr Obama, 64, struck his trademark hopeful tone in a speech inaugurating the modernistic centre.

But the country's first Black president also alluded to fears among many Americans that US democracy is in danger, winning applause with the phrase "no kings" — a popular anti-Trump protest slogan.

Mr Obama said that an "overwhelming majority" wants the nation to heal.

"People aren't looking for perpetual anger and division,"

he said.

"They are looking for fairness and common sense and mutual respect.

"I hope this centre will serve as an affirmation of just how special, how precious our democracy truly is and remind us what we can achieve when we embrace our shared responsibilities as citizens."

The futuristic complex housing Mr Obama's records and mementos from his two terms in office opens to the public on Friday, local time.

Thursday's event was for celebrities including Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Oprah Winfrey, alongside performances by U2's Bono, Stevie Wonder, Bruce Springsteen and hip-hop band The Roots.

This was also one of those rare occasions when the country's former presidents gathered in one place.

Republican George W Bush and Democrats Bill Clinton and Joe Biden walked on stage, joining the Obamas and their daughters Sasha and Malia.

Not only was Mr Trump absent, but he routinely continues to launch criticism and often personal insults at Mr Obama, shattering the informal truce traditionally observed within the presidents' club.

"I'm so disappointed we've reached this point," Illinois Senator Dick Durbin said of the acrimonious environment in Washington.

"I'm honoured that [former US] president Bush would make this a bipartisan salute to Barack Obama and Michelle.

"We need to get back in that spirit again, and we can, America can get through this and come together."

Foreign guests at the gathering included former Italian prime minister Matteo Renzi and former German chancellor Angela Merkel.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Chicagoans watched from a distance on the Midway Plaisance, the mile-long park stretching past the University of Chicago, where Mr Obama once taught law.

Chicago launch pad for Obama

Chicago's South Side played a prominent role in Mr Obama's career.

He cut his political teeth there as a community organiser in the 1980s before representing the area in the Illinois state Senate, then winning a US Senate seat in 2004.

Still in his first term as a Senator, he launched an outsider bid for the presidency and went on to win two terms, leading the nation between 2009 and 2017.

Now the neighbourhood will play host to the former president's complex, which features an NBA-sized basketball court — a nod to Mr Obama's and Chicago's shared love of the sport — and the 69-metre tall granite tower housing his museum.

The stark architecture has drawn astonishment and outright criticism, with Mr Trump comparing it to a trash can.

More generous critics have called the building the "Obamalisk" and compared it to a "Star Wars" spaceship.

But the $US850 million ($1.2b) centre would enshrine the ex-president's core message of "hope," said Valerie Jarrett, chief executive of the Obama Foundation and a former top White House aide during his presidency.

There is a sprawling playground and a public library. But unlike the other 15 official US presidential libraries around the country, it will store archives digitally instead of having physical copies.

"Chicago has produced so many things," said Illinois Congressman Danny Davis, who has represented Chicago's West Side since 1997.

"It's been a centrepiece of the civil rights movement, of human rights, of social work, of social development, of social activity.

"And of course, in terms of race relations and race development, the only place from which an African American has become president of the United States."

AFP