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 21 Jan Obama look-alike becomes a celebrity
Ilham Anas, (pictured left) an Indonesian photographer is cashing in on his uncanny resemblance to new US President, Barack Obama (pictured right).
Reports in Indonesia say Anas (34) is now in great demand and increasingly becoming a celebrity in Jakarta, where Obama once lived. He has appeared on Indonesia's premier TV talk show, done an advertisement as Obama, and received other marketing offers from companies in the region.
The real Barack Obama went to school in Jakarta in the late 1960s, when his classmates knew him as Barry.
In an interview with Reuters Anas said: "I was in the airport in Malaysia in transit and a man approached me and asked: 'Are you Obama?'. I was very surprised when he asked to take a picture together and bought me a meal."
Anas's increasing popularity arose after his colleagues, at a local teenage magazine, asked him to pose with a suit, tie and American flag, following Mr Obama's election victory in November.
Soon, they were taking photos and sending them to friends. "The pictures spread very quickly on the internet. It was phenomenal. Then TV stations and an advertising agency got in touch with me," he said.
He says he is happy to cash in but there are limits. "I will take all the opportunities that come my way, as long as they don't violate ethical codes and my personal values," he said.
Obama lived in Jakarta for four years after his American mother, Ann Dunham, married Indonesian, Lolo Soetoro following the end of her marriage to Obama's father who was Kenyan.
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