Mark Ndesandjo, the intensely private half-brother of President-elect Barack Obama, gives the thumbs up at a charity concert in Shenzhen, southern China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. The press release for the concert didn't reveal the long-kept secret of who Ndesandjo really is, nor did the posters and e-mails promoting the event in this southern Chinese boomtown.
Mark Ndesandjo plays the piano to raise money for orphans during a charity concert in Shenzhen, southern China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. He wore a brown silk Chinese-style shirt while playing the piano to raise money for orphans. The 200 or so people who showed up for the fundraiser at a posh hotel resort knew he was the half brother of President-elect Barack Obama.
Mark Ndesandjo attends the charity concert in Shenzhen, southern city China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. For the past seven years, Ndesandjo has been living in Shenzhen, a freewheeling city just across the border from Hong Kong. The announcement for his piano concert identified him as a strategic marketing consultant.
Mark Ndesandjo attends the charity concert in Shenzhen, Southern city in China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Ndesandjo has been dodging the media since his family ties were made public last summer.
Mark Ndesandjo plays the piano to raise money for orphans during a charity concert in Shenzhen, southern China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. Ndesandjo apparently wants a low-key life separate from Obama. No one mentioned his family when he was introduced at the charity concert and cocktail party sponsored by the American Chamber of Commerce in South China.
Mark Ndesandjo poses for a sculptor at a charity concert in Shenzhen, southern China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009. He uses the surname of his mother, Ruth, the third wife of his and Barack Obama's father, who died in 1982. He was born in Kenya and moved to the United States when he was a child.
Liu Zue Hua, right, the wife of Mark Ndesandjo, the intensely private half-brother of President-elect Barack Obama, watches his performance from the side of the stage at a charity concert in Shenzhen, southern China, Friday, Jan. 16, 2009.