June 5, 2010
Kigali: Don Cheadle, the actor in the Genocide movie ‘Hotel Rwanda’, which has not been screened publicly in Rwanda, had a private audience with President Kagame, according to the Hollywood star.
Mr. Cheadle has just told the Gorilla naming ceremony in Northern Province that he “had the honour” of meeting President Kagame with his family on Friday. The star is the UN environment goodwill ambassador, and is in Rwanda for the World Environment Day – which is being celebrated along with the gorilla naming.
He did not give details of what was discussed.
The Hollywood star has not been to Rwanda since 2005, when the movie Hotel Rwanda was released. The movie is based on the story of recent government critic Paul Rusesabagina, who supposedly saved up 1200 people at the Hotel Mille Colline during the Tutsi Genocide, here in Kigali.
Before the movie, Mr. Rusesabagina was just a taxi driver in Brussels, but sprung into international fame as the movie became a global hit. The actor Cheadle even got several global movie nominations.
However, trouble arose after Mr. Rusesabagina started using his acquired fame and money to challenge the authority of government in Kigali, becoming a fierce critic to President Kagame personally.
In his speech for the same audience, President Kagame congratulated Mr. Cheadle for being named the environment goodwill envoy. He was appointed in May.
No comments:
Post a Comment