by Firoze Hirjikaka

Created on: April 16, 2008   Last Updated: May 01, 2008

Donald Frank Cheadle was born on November 29, 1964. There was nothing remarkable about his birth or his early career.It took the movie "Hotel Rwanda", when Cheadle was almost 40, to make him an international star.

"Hotel Rwanda" - which was filmed in South Africa - changed Cheadle's life in more ways than one. Apart from gaining him international recognition, the experience of researching the Rwanda genocide brought home to him the dire situation prevailing in many parts of the Dark Continent. And he did a lot more than utter sound bytes of sympathy.

Just a year after receiving world wide accolades for "Rwanda", he made a trip to western Sudan's Darfur region. The experience was like getting religion'. The incredible suffering and deprivation he witnessed there gave him an altered perception of the human condition. That one set of human beings could inflict such unbearable cruelty on another was almost too much to take it; but there it was, spread out in front of him like some tableau from hell.

Cheadle was realistic enough to realize that there was not much he, as an individual, could do to stop, or even reduce, the carnage in Darfur. However, he vowed that he would use his celebrity status to make the world and particularly the United States - face up to the unending genocide taking place there. In spite of his busy schedule, Cheadle has taken time out to play a leading role in Ted Braun's documentary, "Darfur Now", which throws a stark lens on the ongoing violence that has slaughtered an estimated 200,000 people and forced another 2.5 million people into displaced persons camps.

Although Cheadle does not advocate a police role for the United States, in Darfour, he does believe that his country should provide a lot more financial and technological support to mitigate the suffering, than it is currently doing. Moreover, he is critical of the Bush administration for imposing sanctions on Sudan, without collaborating with the United Nations. In an interview conducted by Petey Greene in the television show "Talk to Me", Cheadle says "It's how our country likes to do things under this leadership. [The U.S. decides] 'We'll do it.' No, you can't do it, idiot! We [as a world community] have to do it.''

Since getting involved in Darfur, Cheadle has testified before the Senate, met with Condoleezza Rice, and teamed up with George Clooney, Brad Pitt, and Matt Damon to raise money for the cause, by turning several premieres of the hit movie "Ocean's Thirteen" into benefits. He has also co-authored a book, released in May 2007, titled Not On Our Watch: The Mission To End Genocide In Darfur And Beyond.

Some might deduce that Cheadle's zeal and dedication towards to a very worthy cause may stem from an empathy with his African roots. But I think it is a lot more than that. It is one thing to give lip sympathy (not forgetting that all important photo op); or, like Jimmy Carter, to devote oneself to humanitarian causes at the fag end of one's career. However, Cheadle has chosen to give of his time and energy at a time when his movie career is really starting to take off. He is genuinely committed to what he is doing. In my book, that makes him worthy of unbridled admiration.

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