Forget about the red carpet. Turn off those bright lights. And don’t even think about a swag bag. For the past five years, George Clooney has been using his fame as leverage to bring greater awareness and change to Sudan. This week, Newsweek published a cover story featuring Clooney and his efforts, dubbing him “a 21st century statesman.”
Clooney, who has also been a supporter of ONE, is certainly aware of how his fame can be used as a tool for diplomacy: “Celebrity can help focus news media where they have abdicated their responsibility. We can’t make policy, but we can ‘encourage’ politicians more than ever before…If [the paparazzi] are going to follow me anyway, I want them to follow me here.” With the media watching his every move, Clooney has been working to bring awareness to Darfur, which had the first genocide of the 21st century and took the lives of more than 2 million people, as well as advocating for the independence of South Sudan.
And Clooney’s voice has shed some serious light on Sudan – Satellite Sentinel, his latest project to combat civil war in Sudan through the use of cutting-edge satellite and mapping technology with big-time collaborators as Google, UNITAR and Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, seeks to increase transparency. As Clooney says, “We want to let potential perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes know that we’re watching, the world is watching. War criminals thrive in the dark. It’s a lot harder to commit mass atrocities in the glare of the media spotlight.”
On a recent trip to Sudan in January, Clooney was stricken with malaria, making headlines around the world. This was used as an opportunity to shine a spotlight on the disease, which is still very much a presence in the developing world. In conjunction with New York Times columnist Nick Kristof, Clooney partook in a reader Q&A, highlighting the lack of treatment for the average Sudanese in rural areas with malaria and commending programs such as Malaria No More that encourage the useof mosquito nets.
As Nick Kristof says in Newsweek, “The truth is that the spotlight of public attention is lifesaving – whether it’s a genocide, disease or hunger. Stars can generate attention and then generate the political will to do something about a problem.” Clooney’s much-publicized focus on Sudan certainly proves this fact.
Read more about Clooney’s contribution to the focus on Sudan in Newsweek.
Satellite photographs. Hollywood actors. Dictators and the threat of the world’s next genocide. Although this may sound like the makings of an action-packed spy movie, it’s not. It’s the foundation of the Satellite Sentinel Project, George Clooney’s latest project to combat civil war in Sudan through the use of cutting-edge satellite and mapping technology.
Mr. Clooney initiated the Satellite Sentinel Project in time for Sudan’s big vote next week, which determines whether southern Sudan, a region rich in oil, will become independent from the rest of the country. Human rights experts warn that it’s a dangerous proposal — if President Omar al-Bashir refuses to accept the South’s independence, the country could plunge into a civil war, sparking the world’s next genocide.
In order to avoid this, Mr. Clooney’s project, in partnership with the Enough Project and Not On Our Watch, will use satellite imagery analysis and field reports with Google’s Map Maker technology to watch for indications of war preparation on the border between North and South Sudan. Any signs of war will be immediately exposed to the mainstream media and the human rights community.
“We want to let potential perpetrators of genocide and other war crimes know that we’re watching, the world is watching,” said Mr. Clooney. “War criminals thrive in the dark. It’s a lot harder to commit mass atrocities in the glare of the media spotlight.”
According to John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project, “Deterrence is our objective. We want to contribute to the prevention of war between North and South Sudan. If war does ignite, we want to hold accountable those responsible, and hopefully deter human rights crimes that would be committed in the context of war.”
Here at ONE, we believe that peaceful countries with leadership accountable to its citizens will have the best chance at winning the fight against extreme poverty and disease. Projects like the Satellite Sentinel Project will help create and promote more transparent governments that respect civic participation and the rule of law necessary to ensure that investments are made in the poorest people.
Time magazine honored George Clooney yesterday as one of its 100 Most Influential People in 2009 for his activism around the crisis in Darfur. George has been a great friend of ONE, and working with the organization he cofounded, Not on our Watch, he has been an influential player in the fight to focus attention on the humanitarian crisis in Darfur — and on the responsibility of the US government and other world leaders to do something about it.
ONE cofounder Bono writes about Clooney in the Time 100 Issue:
His commitment to ending the atrocities in Sudan is not a role, not a performance. It is real — and it is serious work. Some people think celebrities should stick to the script, stay feted and fetal in their air-conditioned trailers. Some people think it’s an appalling juxtaposition to see the rich and famous in a photo call with the vanquished and the vulnerable.
It is. George knows that. But he also knows that the cameras trained on you and the column inches dedicated to you could be covering something a little more important than, well, you. Like the slaughter of innocents in Darfur. Like the refugee camps full of starving Sudanese.
And he knows the details, the nuances of his and your sides of the argument. Hey, if you’re going to pay attention to George Clooney, he’s going to insist you pay attention to this stuff. Now there’s a radical idea.
Bono also interviewed George on his work in Darfur for a CNN special on the Time 100 hosted by Anderson Cooper that will air Friday night May 1 at 11 PM EDT on both CNN and CNN International. It will re-air on CNN Saturday and Sunday at 8 and 11 PM EDT.
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