Fishburne praises SA media
2004-06-21 22:52
Johannesburg - Actor Laurence Fishburne said on Monday he was grateful the South African media was serious about children's rights, especially as the United States press had lost its focus.
Addressing media at the SABC in Johannesburg, Fishburne, a goodwill ambassador for the UN Children's Fund (Unicef), had been speaking at the launch of the book All Sides of the Story: A Journalist's Handbook.
The book is a joint project by various roleplayers, including the South African National Editors Forum (Sanef) and the Media Monitoring Project (MMP).
Fishburne flew out of the country shortly after the conference. He arrived in South Africa on Thursday and was able to visit a few places, including KwaZulu-Natal and Soweto.
At Monday's launch, he said, "Children are a gift from God," adding "they don't belong to us".
He also urged journalists to cover stories on children with the same passion they would if they were writing about their own children.
Why he became involved in Unicef
Concerning his involvement in Unicef, Fishburne said that as an actor "there is a part of me that remains childlike".
"The whole thing about fame frustrates me. I was happy with my role as a creative person, but not as a famous person. I wanted to do something that touched people."
"As an actor, there is a part of me that will always be a child. That's why I got involved in Unicef," he said.
As part of his Unicef work, he tries to empower children so that they become less vulnerable to abuse and to strengthen their voice when their rights are violated.
"Abuse is abuse. It doesn't matter what form it takes," he said.
"A mother's task is to give out love and to protect children, while a father's job is to make men of their boys.
"This means that sons must learn that the thing between their legs does not give them power over women. It doesn't help to put it gently.
"When men feel they are powerless and when they have nothing, they resort to the force of sexual power.
"Many boys in South Africa grow up without a father because of migration. I was a child without a father," said Fishburne.
"I had to work out for myself where I could get manly energy. But, even if a young man is in a harmful position, there are ways to guide them."