Towering basketball star gives a lift to his native DRCongo - Yahoo! News: "WASHINGTON (AFP) - NBA All Star Dikembe Mutombo is giving a boost to his nativeHere is a, wonderful, selfless man that definitely deserves to be praised, and honored by his nation and the world.
Democratic Republic of Congo in the form of a state-of-the-art hospital that opens its doors September 2.
A towering figure standing seven feet, three inches (2.23 meters) tall, Mutombo says he is keeping a vow he made with himself that if he ever made it big, he would not forget about the people in his home country.
'It was always on my mind: 'If I become someone important someday, I want to do my part to help, because I didn't get there strictly of my own volition,'' he told AFP, speaking in French."
Second, I just fund out about a new documentary on Congo, narrated by two favorites of mine, Don Cheadle, and Afre Woodard, and directed by Pippa Scott:
Documentary reveals specter of evil over Congo: "Most American lives don't have second acts. Pippa Scott is cur rently on her third.Those of you in New York, please go watch this, and let us know what you think.
Her first was as a steadily working actress in TV shows such as 'Ironside' and movies like 'Cold Turkey.' Her second was as a co- founder of Lorimar, the production company behind series such as 'The Waltons' and 'Dallas.'
Her current career is, though, perhaps her most interesting, and most important. As the founder of Linden Productions, Scott specializes in documentaries about human-rights abuses. Her latest is about the history of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Exhaustively if sometimes depressingly thorough, the powerful 'King Leopold's Ghost' begins with that Belgian king's seizure of the huge African territory in the 19th century, and his immediate claim on it as his own property. As the title suggests, the modern nation is still haunted by his reign of theft, torture and enslavement."
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I also found both of these stories online yesterday albeit at different news sources than you link to here.
NBA star Dikembe Mutombo has been working on this hospital project for more than 10 years and has organized an impressive group of corporate sponsors, political backers, and NBA players and officials to support the construction and operating costs of this much needed hospital and research center.
As he states in interviews by various U.S. national media, when he arrives in his hometown of Kinshasa in September for the grand opening of the hospital carrying the name of his deceased mother Biame Marie Mutombo, he will most likely break down in tears. The 1st newly constructed medical center in the capital Kinshasa to be built in more than 40 years. Mothers of the Congo and many other people living in and around Kinshasa who need its services so desperately will breakdown in tears of joy too.
BTW: The grand opening event for this new hospital will attract the largest group of U.S. sports personalities and stars since the "Rumble in the Jungle" prize fight between Ali & Foreman. I hope that some of the NBA stars in attendance go out amongst the youth of the city while they are visiting Kinshasa.
P.S. Sponsor contributions and donations collected total more than US$ 24 million... all from U.S. companies and individuals keen on helping the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo. It is important that the people of the DRC know that, so is this story being reported in the local and national media there? Non??
Actually it is, bro BRE. It was on Le Potentiel yesterday, or the day before.
I am always amazed, and impressed by the amount of effort you put forward to outline the good and giving nature of the people of the USA. It is commendable, brother BRE, and indeed, many in the USA have enough compassion to care for people other than themselves. And even the US government has lots of generous ventures. The problem is that they often do not provide an equal balance for the... other actions of the US (at least in the eyes of developing countries' people).
Thank you, Ali the Malau, for your kind words. And thank you on behalf of the people of my country who give a damn about the people of the DR Congo and all of Africa.
I will be expecting your support in my run for the Presidency of the United States of America in 2012. Or do you think that I would make a better Senator vs. Commander-in-Chief? I could easily bump Hillary or Obama from their cushy jobs in the Capitol.
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