(07-12-2005) Djimon and Bono urge scholars to solve Africa's problems - IOL*

[HelloAngel]

Djimon and Bono urge scholars to solve Africa's problems



Model-turned-movie star Djimon Hounsou has joined forces with rocker Bono to kick start a new campaign to prompt African scholars to give back to their home continent.

The Gladiator star, who was born in Benin, Africa, is determined to end corruption back home and thinks today's top minds can help him achieve that.

Hounsou, who had a part in this month's Live 8 organisation, says: "So many countries in Africa have not really had great leaders because of corruption, so I'm working with Bono in trying to find ways to get African scholars and African artists together to find solutions to end corruption in some of the places.

"We do need to improve in trading with the West and we do need to improve on an education level. We do need to end corruption... We need help, but more than anything, Africa needs to be able to trade with the West. That 's the only way we can be self-sufficient."

And the African activist is also calling on those who have visited his homeland and been touched by it to give back: "The continent which stood for so much and was the cradle of life has become the cradle of death.

"Everybody has gone to Africa and everybody has drawn or gotten something from Africa. I think it's about time we gave something back to that continent."

© Thomas Crosbie Media, 2005.
http://breakingnews.iol.ie/entertainment/story.asp?j=149154502&p=y49y55zx8

 

[wizard2c]

reply

Makes sense to me. Gladiator star.....{just a little wizard humor here as I came across that DVD the other day and kinda gazed at the cover of it for a moment or two.....}.

 

[ShellBeThere]

ooh, brilliant next public step I think!
Rhetorically, it addresses the naysaying campaign about how nothing can be done until corruption in african government is changed.
Visually, such a drive might help to get a more african face on the scholarly end of it. There's got to be folks out there who can be more visible as economists and political scientists and development scholars who are of African descent. I don't know crap about any of it, but it seems to me that some scholars who could speak to the issues and be other than the usual suspects would be useful about now (the naysaying forces as represented for instance by people like david brooks at the NYTimes like to rag on Sachs' writings, for example, so a wider range of scholarship would maybe help to move away from the politics of personal attack so popular these days).

cheers...

 

[2Hearts]

so a wider range of scholarship would maybe help to move away from the politics of personal attack

I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[lady luck]

Who is Djimon?
Will someone post a pic, please?

Is he the one who acted in "In America" as Matteo, too?