John Prendergast was U.S. director of African Affairs during the Clinton administration. Now he's co-chair of the ENOUGH Project, founded to galvanize political leaders and the public to confront genocide. His latest book, "Not on Our Watch," is about Darfur and was co-authored by actor Don Cheadle.
Q. What message will you bring to Charlotte?
That there are solutions to these terrible crises we read about and see on our screens. And second, that students can play a role in those solutions.
Q. By getting involved in the anti-genocide movement?
For the first time in our history, there is a mass movement of citizens in the United States dedicated to ending a genocide while it's occurring. We didn't see that in Rwanda, in Bosnia, in Cambodia, the Holocaust. By getting involved, you don't feel isolated in your concern.
Q. Is this activism having an impact in Darfur?
In international relations, change usually doesn't happen overnight. But the activist efforts have begun to have an impact on policies -- in the United States, but also in China and Europe.
Q. Is President Bush doing and saying the right things on Darfur?
He's saying the right things. He's used the term "genocide" -- the first time a sitting president has done so about a genocide while it was happening. It's a courageous stand to take.
But his actions have not equaled the words.
Q. What would you like Bush to do on Darfur?
First: Help lead international efforts to build a proper peace process. We don't have that right now. The U.S. is the best at it in the world. When we get engaged and heavily involved in peace initiatives, the chances are much better that success will come eventually.
Second, he should work with the U.N. Security Council to impose a cost for committing genocide on those that would do so. That means targeted sanctions.
Q. Are the U.S. presidential candidates speaking enough about Africa -- including Darfur?
All three of the remaining ones (Sens. John McCain, Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama) are very strong on the issue of Darfur.
It has been raised in a number of the debates. Ironically, it was raised more during the YouTube debates, when questions were submitted by ordinary citizens, than when professional journalists (asked the questions).
Q. Is there African interest and curiosity about Barack Obama?
I think "interest" and "curiosity" would be putting it mildly. There's obsession in some countries. Many Africans are looking with great anticipation to the conclusion of our primary process to see who wins.
Q. George Clooney and Angelina Jolie are involved in Africa issues. You co-wrote a book on Darfur with actor Don Cheadle and are getting NBA players involved. Is all this celebrity power raising public awareness? It has probably doubled the number of people that have dedicated themselves to working within this anti-genocide movement. One positive byproduct of the obsession with celebrities is that celebrities doing good things are like Pied Pipers. They bring many people with them. Don Cheadle says it's like taking the light that shines on them and reflecting it to these issues.
Q. There's turmoil all over the world, but there do seem to be a lot of headlines out of Africa: Darfur, Kenya, Chad, Congo. Do you see any overriding cause for all the violence in these places?
We tend to forget the five centuries of European history, between the Renaissance and the Second World War, when, almost nonstop, European nations were at war over basic issues of state formation. And we forget that almost 100 years after our own independence in the United States, we fought one of the bloodiest civil wars -- per capita -- in the history of the world.
Most countries in Africa are a half a century -- or less -- out of independence. And 90 percent of Africa is at peace. But because of the old journalistic line -- "If it bleeds, it leads" -- we only see the atrocities, the famines, the wars. And, by the way, Europe and America are the primary suppliers of arms for Africa's misery.
Q. What effect is the U.S. faith community having in Africa?
The synagogues and the churches and the mosques are the leading edge of the anti-genocide movement. It's remarkable to see people of all faiths coming together around a number of initiatives related to Africa. It gives me hope that we really do have a chance of helping to reverse some of the troubling cycles of violence and poverty that some of Africa finds itself in.
