Actor Cheadle boosts involvement in African aid

By Bob Tourtellotte.

Aug 25, 2005 (Los Angeles) — With “Hotel Rwanda,” the horrific movie set against the background of genocide, now faded from the headlines, actor Don Cheadle is boosting his personal campaign to end war and famine in Africa.

The Oscar-nominated actor has launched “Live For Darfur,” a series of events in which celebrities from rock band U2 to Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel dedicate their work toward raising awareness about refugees in the Darfur region of Sudan.

In September, Cheadle will attend Save Darfur Coalition’s “National Day of Action” in Washington, to address the death and disease plaguing Darfur.

On the same day, he will participate in a National Leadership Assembly for groups to brief Save Darfur members and others on Sudanese issues.

But in an interview on Wednesday, Cheadle called the single events a “raindrop approach” and hinted at a torrent of more cohesive actions to come aimed at reaching a wider spectrum of people.

“That strategy hasn’t been completely put together … but we are working toward that,” he said.

Cheadle earned wide acclaim last year for “Hotel Rwanda,” in which he portrayed a hotel manager who saved the lives of some 1,200 refugees during the civil war in Rwanda that began in 1994.

More than just a movie role, Cheadle’s work in “Hotel Rwanda” led him to become an activist for boosting aid to African nations whose people have been ravaged by starvation, drought and war.

Last year, the Bush Administration declared genocide was taking place in Sudan and called on world intervention. Since then, a long-running civil war has formally ended, but separate fighting in continues in Darfur, where more than 2 million people have been left homeless.

“The problems are very nuanced and complex and are things that we are in dire need of leadership from our government if we are going to see any change,” said Cheadle, who has traveled to Africa three times in recent months.

He knows people tire of celebrities promoting causes and Americans are reticent about intervention in Africa, but Cheadle argues that American involvement is needed to prevent impoverished nations from becoming hotbeds of terrorism and disease.

“It will have a direct impact on our citizens down the line. You can’t just throw away an entire continent,” he said.

Reuters/ST