THE QUESTION

Actress Drew Barrymore is now lobbying Congress for the UN World Food Program. Do Hollywood star-activists help bring attention to global problems, or do they get in the way of those who know what they're doing?

From the newspaper:
Hollywood Stars Find an Audience For Social Causes

Posted by Ignatius, Zakaria & Ahn on June 11, 2007 10:52 AM

FROM THE PANEL

William M. Gumede is Associate Editor at Africa Confidential. He is Research Fellow at the School of Public and Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. He recently released the bestselling book Thabo Mbeki and the Battle for the Soul of the ANC.

Causes Too Often Go Out of Fashion

Africa needs genuine friends. The danger is always that Africa will become a passing fad. Western leaders speak eloquently about the advantages of globalization, but the rules are stacked in favor of the West. Celebrities can do a great deal if they partner with Africans on issues Africans have identified themselves.

William M. Gumede South Africa | 15 COMMENTS
Jun 12, 2007 at 9:33 AM
Bashir Goth is a veteran journalist, freelance writer, the first Somali blogger and editor of a leading news website. He is also a regular contributor to major Middle Eastern and African newspapers and online journals.

Only Human to Believe Good Intentions

We live in a world where celebrities are placed on a high pedestal, where children around the world dream of becoming tomorrow's Oprah or Barrymore more than of winning a Nobel prize. If efforts by the stars we idolize can help feed the hungry in a world in which we often ignore the hungry, why not embrace them?

Bashir Goth Somalia/UAE | 131 COMMENTS
Jun 11, 2007 at 4:35 PM
Leon Krauze is a Mexican blogger and a founder of letraslibres.com.

Bono & Jolie Do Their Homework

When it comes to celebrities, there are activists and then there are activists. It is hard to fault Bono's work, as he has studied hard, traveled often and used his celebrity to promote a worthy cause at the highest levels of government. But there are also those who abuse their celebrity to promote poorly conceived agendas.

Leon Krauze Mexico | 27 COMMENTS
Jun 11, 2007 at 1:10 PM
Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist. He was born in Jerusalem in 1955. Presently he is a visiting professor at Princeton University in the United States. Mr. Kuttab is the former director of the Institute of Modern Media at Al Quds University in Ramallah, Palestine and the founder of AmmanNet, the Arab world's first internet radio station. His personal web page is www.daoudkuttab.com

Richard Gere Attracts Israelis & Palestinians

Richard Gere came to visit the Middle East a few years ago and attracted more attention than most politicians. He was also careful to say that he was coming to listen, rather than to make statements. Mr. Gere listened to everyone, from Hamas supporters to Jewish settlers, and in turn all sides flocked to see him.

Daoud Kuttab Princeton, NJ | 13 COMMENTS
Jun 11, 2007 at 10:59 AM
Miklós Vámos is a Hungarian novelist, screenwriter and talk show host. He is one of the most read and respected writers in his native Hungary. He has taught at Yale University on a Fulbright fellowship, served as The Nation’s East European correspondent, worked as consultant on the Oscar-winning film Mephisto, and presented Hungary’s most-watched cultural television show. Vámos has received numerous awards for his plays, screenplays, novels and short stories, including the Hungarian Merit Award for lifetime achievement. The Book of Fathers is considered his most accomplished novel and has sold 200,000 copies in Hungary.

What Stars Do Best: Sell Themselves

Star activists are doing what they do the best: selling themselves, together with the issue in question. Since they are famous, their limelight is shared with the issue they advocate. That’s a fair business. It matters less to me whether they're doing it because someone's whispering in their ear, or because they care themselves.

Miklos Vamos Budapest, Hungary | 0 COMMENTS
Jun 11, 2007 at 10:56 AM

READER RESPONSE

» Dave! | The WFP was established in 1963. It has three goals: 1) save lives in refugee and other emergency situations; 2) improve the nutrition and quality ...
» Frank | I personally get tired of celebrities who think that they know better merely because they are famous and wealthy. Neither fame nor wealth assures that...
» MikeB | One of the very real problems with "stars", professional athletes, and even professional politician's is that people belive in them. I cannot fathom w...
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