'Money talks and cash screams'
2005-01-29 12:03
Davos - Sharon Stone, the Hollywood actress and activist, admitted she "made an ass of myself" in a headline-grabbing plea for funds to tackle poverty in Africa - but brought in a million dollars.
Seizing her chance during a heavyweight debate at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, she stood up in the crowded hall to offer an immediate personal pledge of $10 000, then challenged others to follow suit.
Within minutes more than 30 business chiefs had signed up, and collectively raised more than one million dollars to buy anti-mosquito bednets to help the fight against malaria in Tanzania, organisers announced afterwards.
She confessed later that she had been listening to the heavyweight debaters - including Britain's finance chief Gordon Brown, who himself has drawn up an anti-poverty action plan - and felt it was not quick or concrete enough.
"I have this philosophy that money talks and cash screams," said Stone, of Basic Instinct fame, at a late-evening nightcap that dragged into the early hours of Saturday.
"A lot of them, let's face it, are pretty square," she said of the business leaders at the poverty debate.
"I thought, 'I'm going to have to make an ass of myself, I'm going to have to stand up and be shameless'.
"But in the end, 12 containers of mosquito bednets are now on their way to Africa."
Klaus Schwab, the founder of the annual forum in Davos, Switzerland, said a special account had been opened for donations.
On Saturday, in a message emailed to all participants, Stone, who is also a committed Aids activist in the United States, called again for more cash.
"I want to save lives. I want to do it now and I know you want to help me," she wrote.
The money will go to the Global Fund for Aids, Malaria and Tuberculosis.