Ben Affleck was in town Tuesday afternoon for a panel discussion at the Center for Strategic and International Studies about U.S. policy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The actor, who first visited Congo in 2007 and founded the Seattle-based advocacy and grant-making Eastern Congo Initiative earlier this year, says he first became involved in the issue after reading something about Sudan and realizing that he had little knowledge about the scope or scale of what was going on in Congo. “I was stunned that not only was it so tragic but that I had no idea that it happened,” Affleck said. That’s when he decided to use his profile to raise awareness to help the Congolese people and rally support from Americans.
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“I believe in the Congolese people and I believe in the power of the American people to effect change when we put our mind to it,” he said. “After traveling throughout the region and intensive study and discussions with international and Congolese experts, I really came to recognize and believe that the Congolese can rebuild their own country and not only that but that they can prosper.”
