Matt Damon is in South Africa filming The Human Factor, the story of Nelson Mandela‘s rise to power. Mandela is being played by Morgan Freeman, and the film is being directed by Clint Eastwood, both of whom need an on-set doctor. According to Buzz Sugar, “Matt Damon will play star rugby player Francois Pienaar who befriended Nelson Mandela.”
While in South Africa, Matt Damon traveled to the border town of Musina, which is now home to thousands of Zimbabwean refugees. Damon was traveling through his association with Not On Our Watch, the human rights group that funnels money to refugees of genocidal warfare and extreme economic instability in places like Sudan, Chad and Zimbabwe. Damon met with many refugees, including several women who were victims of rape and sexual assault. The Associated Press has more:
MUSINA, South Africa (AP) — Matt Damon listened emotionally as a Zimbabwean woman described how she was raped while pregnant during a perilous journey to cross into South Africa from her troubled homeland.
The Hollywood actor was visiting refugee centers in this border town Tuesday as part of his work with Not On Our Watch, a human rights group he started with other celebrities such as Brad Pitt and George Clooney to draw attention to the world’s suffering peoples.
“I have spoken to so many people who went through so much to get to this point. It is testament to the situation across the border in Zimbabwe,” Damon told The Associated Press in an exclusive interview.
An estimated 3 million Zimbabweans have fled economic collapse and dire humanitarian conditions at home, and Damon said he was “shocked and saddened” by the plight of those he spoke to. He was especially moved by the tale of the 18-year-old woman who was raped.
She said she and a friend bribed a police officer to allow them to cross the border illegally last year and then met a taxi driver who promised her a job. On her first night, the taxi driver took the woman, who was five months pregnant at the time, to a house to stay. A friend of the driver raped her there. “I screamed, no one heard me,” the young woman said, crying as a watery-eyed Damon swallowed hard.
Aid agencies have expressed concern about an increase in sexual violence against women crossing over from Zimbabwe as well as a rise in the number of unaccompanied children making the journey. Many must cross the crocodile-infested Limpopo River and enter South Africa through holes in the fence along the poorly patrolled border, often paying exorbitant fees to unscrupulous guides.
In one camp visited by Damon, about 5,000 Zimbabweans are camped on a sandy patch strewn with rubbish and personal belongings. Some have built makeshift structures out of plastic, and others sleep on pieces of cardboard. There are about a dozen toilets and only a few taps.
Damon, who patiently listened to heart-wrenching stories in the scorching heat, called the situation in Musina “untenable” and said “action has to be taken” by international and regional leaders. Damon is in South Africa making a film directed by Clint Eastwood and starring Morgan Freeman as the country’s first black president, Nelson Mandela. He said he hoped to use his “celebrity capital” to raise awareness about Zimbabwe, where a new unity government is calling for $2 billion in aid to help rebuild.
[From The Associated Press hosted by Google]
It sounds like the meetings really affected Matt. So many of these refugee “camps” are little more than a series of tents, and funding for any kind of intensive operation to care for Zimbabwean refugees will most likely be a tough road. Damon is doing God’s work, as far I’m concerned, but I’m sure there will be those who find something to criticize.
On a more positive note, I had no idea that Matt Damon had a role in The Human Factor. I bet he’s really pleased that he gets to work with Clint Eastwood and Morgan Freeman, and I hope he enjoys himself while he’s there.
Here’s Matt Damon coming out of his downtown apartment and walking to his car in Manhattat on February 12th. Images thanks to Pacific Coast News.
Look, I think it’s incredibly important to draw attention to these horrific matters.
As much as I am not a fan of his, this is a good thing.
However, Matt is making more than 20 million a film, and simply TALKING to a poor woman who have been brutally raped is really not enough, given the fact that it’s so easy for you to help her and her people.
Talking and going to the media is important but also self-serving as it helps you to brand yourself and get positive exposure.
That is fine if you also put money where your mouthe is.
Matt Damon can certainly afford it and for these people it would be life saving.
I admit to falling for him after his whole “Palin is a moron” bit, but man, this! This just makes him THAT much hotter.
God I love intelligent and caring men. Mmm.
@Ned – aren’t you nice and helpful, deciding how Matt Damon should spend his money.
Exactly how do you know what he does and doesn’t give to charitable causes? That’s right, you don’t. These endless criticisms of celebrities who try to use their celebrity to shine a light are wearing very thin and can only be coming from those with permanently begrudging half-empty rather than half-full glasses.
Just to reiterate, Damon not shouting from the rooftops about his own personal charitable giving is a ridiculous reason to assume he doesn’t do any.
I agree geronimo.
Geronimo – Ned is being consistent with her opinions on certain other do-gooders. It’s an opposing view, but I can see the thought process behind it.
However, it’s my opinion that money will only go so far – especially when it comes to what appears to be systemic and endemic misogyny towards the working-class and poor women of Africa. I’ve recently heard some really sobering facts about the almost institutionalised sexual abuse of women in the workplace in some areas (having to grant sexual favours to get a job, to get a promotion, to get time off to tend to a sick child).
It would seem that a sea-change in attitude towards women specifically which must be encouraged and enforced by legislation is needed. And that can only be achieved through people speaking out, not by tossing cash at a group of refugees.
I’m not at all saying that cold-hard cash isn’t vitally important, because it is, and we should give what we can afford; but unless the causes of the problem are tackled it will only be a sticking plaster available to the few who are in the right place at the right time, or who have swallowed their pride to ask for it.
I love him and his charitable work too.
You’re damned if you do and you’re damned if you don’t.
You don’t get involved in causes you’re an out of touch stuck up celebrity.
You promote a cause you’re a self-serving publicity whore.
You give money, you’re ostentious, and full of yourself (people will say so, I’d do it to if I had that much money, FYI you can spare a little bit, even if you’re of low income, compared to third world people you’re loaded).
You don’t give money, well you’re all just talk.
A celebrity can’t do anything without criticism. To all the people who say he’s rich he can spare money, 1. Maybe he does it privately not trying to make a spectacle out of it. 2. When you say that, look at yourself and see if what your charitable contributions are. You may say, ‘well I’m not rich’. But do you really need that lipstick? That McDonalds? Do you need to eat out? Do you need those fashion glasses? Everyone in a first world country can spare a bit. It’s easy to critsize someone else, but make sure you measure up to you standards first, fucking idiots!
FYI this isn’t an attack at everyone, just those who fit the bill.
Like Ned the OP. Quite an assumption that he isn’t donating money just because he doesn’t call the media to do it.
@Mairead – I couldn’t care less about Ned’s consistency. The point, clearly made I thought, is that Ned, despite not having a clue what Matt Damon does personally in terms of charitable giving, makes the totally logic-defying statement that he’s does nothing but pay lip service to the various causes he supports. Self-righteous logic-dodger.
I know geronimo – sorry if I offended you, it wasn’t meant to be critical of you. I was trying to be nice about Ned’s point (which could well be shared by hundreds of others who I think don’t quite get the point).
Ben – yes I do NEED the designer frames. If you saw the state of me with the other frames… not good my friend. 😉
M – it was directed entirely at Ned the logic-dodger, not you. Really. Sorry, just really bugs me, assumption making with not a single fact to back it up.
Im a taxi driver, great blog.
Im a taxi driver, great blog.