Zeinab badawi, from the World Economic forum in davos. My guest is humanitarian, Activist And Hollywood Actor forest whitaker. Hes probably best known for his oscar winning role ten years ago as the ugandan dictator idi amin in the last king of scotland, and hes remained deeply involved with uganda through his work with the Whitaker Peace Development initiative, which helps young People Living in communities affected by violence across several continents. Hes also a Special Envoy for unesco and a member of the uns Advocacy Group on Sustainable Development goals. But can Celebrity Activists like him be real Agents For Change . Forest whitaker, welcome to hardtalk. Its great to be here with you. Now, in your acting career, youve been a very, very versatile actor. Mainstream, Popularfilms Like Rogue One a star wars story, and also the great debaters, back in 2007, about black students striving for equality. Mm hm. Do you like to act in any genre of films . Im trying to continue to grow as a person, so each character is an opportunity for me to understand a different part of myself, a different part of humanity. So what happens is that i dont necessarily repeat the same roles because im continuing to search, to understand and deepen who i am as a person and an artist. Do you believe that film can really create a dialogue and help bring about change . Because youre a very committed social activist. For instance, youve been in rather gritty roles. You played a gay character in pret a porter. And also, in two of your films as director, which are Waiting To Exhale and hope floats, you dealt with issues such as divorce, abandonment, adultery, that kind of thing. I mean, i think that we hope the film can lend a lens or a mirror to our inner thoughts and our inner understandings. I think that ive done a number of films. We have another Production Company and we do produce films. A lot of those films are with first time film makers. Unique, individualvoices. We did one a few years ago called fruitvale station, with ryan coogler, that nina yang did with me. And that film was dealing with oscar grant and his being murdered in the bart station in san francisco. Whereas ive done comedies where ive introduced, like linda mendoza, she did something called chasing papi. And that was her first film but, you know, just supporting these new voices and supporting her as a film maker and as a female film maker. But do you think that your films can kind of act as a catalyst to generate debate and perhaps to bring about change in mindsets . Certainly, i think that as the film i was talking about was put out at the conclusion of the trials that were going on with trayvon martin. Um, the films that we did before, we did a film on vietnamese refugees that created a new dialogue with the director, tim linh bui, about what had happened when they were here in the United States during that time. I think a lot of the films that even as an artist, as an actor let you delve into the dialogue of race and understanding and the movement, or the growth of the entire country. I think it was just a dialogue about what had happened during the countrys time and what it was reaching for. The sort of sense of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness. You are. You won numerous accolades, awards, including Oscar For Best Actor for your portrayal as idi amin, the ugandan dictator, in the last king of scotland. Is that a film youre proud of . Yes, i gained a lot from that film as an artist and as a person. Er, i had to do so Much Research to try to understand this particular character. I had never been to the African Continent up until that point. That was an opening for me. And i had been charged with the notion that i was from there, so i needed to understand what it felt like in some ways to actually be african, not African American, you know . And that was a challenge. The challenge of understanding the historical relevance of what was going on with him during that time and all the countries in that region, you know, and the attacks that were going on, the colonialism. All these things were opportunities for me to continue to grow. I had to learn a new language. I was working on swahili, so i could actually speak in the film in that language and be able to improvise a little bit in the language. I had to learn Musical Instruments because that was one of his things. It was like a party in a box, this accordion that he was playing, it allowed him to create a party wherever he wanted. It was certain qualities of his personality that were interesting. Very taxing as well, you had to put on 50lb, didnt you, to take the role on, Something Like that . You must have been eating a lot, forest, in the run up to that yeah, well, during that time, i just kept eating. So as an African American going to the continent of africa for the first time, what did you feel like when you first landed in africa . Did you feel like, a sense that youd come home . Did you have any kind of affinity . Because i acquired a deeper feeling of that the more i was opening myself to understanding things. At first, you get a general feeling of the air, the place and the people. They were very generous, the ugandans were very generous to me that i met. But then something happens as you start to eat the food, you rest on the side of a road, Riding Motorcycles through the streets. I tried to experience as much as i could to help me understand how to project this in a truthful way. You were quoted in the new York Magazine in 2006 saying idi amin was responsible for major atrocities, but he also reshaped opportunities for people in his country. He was a person who was colonised and he stood up to colonialism. And he was demonised for many things, but partly for standing up. Sounds like you perhaps somewhat admired him . I didnt admire the atrocities that he did, as far as the many deaths. Although if you examine the historical reference, youll see that the person behind him committed more murders and the person before him has committed more murders. It doesnt make his right, itsjust curious as to why he was so focused on during that time. I think certainly, he was trying to bring a sort of sense of nationalism. He kicked out the west, which was unusual for someone who was from the continent. Its not a question of, like, trying to act like hes some form of a hero, its a question ofjust, like, looking at the references and seeing the Different Things that affected the people and changed their sense of identity. And he did, like, have some influence on changing their identity. You said in general about empathising with characters that once you understand the patterns that shape a person, how can you not find sympathy . Does that apply to somebody like idi amin who, as you say, committed, and we know, many atrocities . I think in some ways, i guess very strongly. Because at first, you just look at what is projected of him and you have to try to go to the source of what would make him become that . What would make him commit 300,000 murders . What would allow him to do some of the atrocities that occurred . Youre asking for understanding, though, for somebody who was a very brutal dictator. Im not asking for understanding for him, im looking for humanity in who he is. I think we have to look at humanity. We have to be able to stand in each others shoes and understand that the way we behave is based on the different structures or things that happened to us as we grew up in our lives. And so my philosophy as an artist is, i look at every character and i try to understand them, i go to their core. Pulling away the different experiences of their lives. Pulling away the different pains and understandings, until i get to the bottom. And at the bottom of it, i believe we are all connected in some way. At the bottom, theres just a flame that is connected to everybody. And then you put those things back up on top of that character, that person, and that forms him. And then you can see a person who did atrocities, who did horrible things, but you do try to go for understanding. The perceptions that that film raised about africa i want to tell you what a black british film critic, Vanessa Walters, wrote in the guardian. She said, the fact that amin killed many of his people, does that give Carte Blanche to the film makers to play to some of the worst stereotypes of corrupt, murderous, incompetent and ridiculous black leaders . Africa is presented as a place of violence and superstition, ruled by fear. How far do you believe thats true and, if so, does it worry you . I mean, i think that certainly because the continent is really diverse and so theres all different types of stories and many of those stories need to be told, you know, from different ways of life, different types of characters who make up that continent. But i think that if you look at, historically, this particular character and what he did in his life and the things that happened, then you have to, like, deal with the truth of what that is. It doesnt mean. Because i think the movie was somewhat about colonialisation and what colonisation did, and i think that was looking at, painting that picture that he was created. He was a soldier who was famous for fighting with the mau maus, and they took him. He wasnt choosing to be a president. They took him and said, heres this opportunity, wed like you to become president. We will use you as a puppet to deal with our needs. But unfortunately for them, he chose not to take that path. Ok, but doesnt it play to the negative stereotypes of africa, which is the point that Vanessa Walters is making, do you accept that theres soem truth in that . I can say that. Does it play into that . I think that in this particular story, i think its trying to stay pretty true to what was occurring during that time. The things you were talking about. When you were referencing idi amin, you said all kinds of atrocities. You had no sympathy for him, you were discussing all these things and asking me how i could have any feeling about him. That was your point of view. Yeah, that was. You know, so im saying that, yes, that that may exist. And i think, yes, more stories need to be told, you know, that deal with the African Continent that show the uplifting stories, that show the lives, the joys and all the things like that. Thats one of many stories. Its just one of many stories. What does the film tell us about hollywood . Because the story is related through the eyes of a young scottish doctor who goes to uganda. I tell you what the veteran film Producerjoe Pichirallo says, in general the bottom line is that the major studios want assurances that Film Projects have the potential to attract a significant white audience. Um. So theyve got to go through the eyes of a white doctor. I mean, i think that has been the case at different times and it continues to be that way at certain times. In the case of that, it was based on a book, you know, and so it was following that particular book. As a general point, though, do you think its valid . As a general point. At times, its been extremely valid. I think it continues to be. I mean, were looking at a system where 30 of the leading characters in films, minorities, are people of colour. But in reality, its 40 of our population is that. So theres a disparity. And so theres this question of economy, theres a question of why you make which film you make. And sometimes, i think the studios themselves have made this assumption that in order to make a film be successful, in order to make the monies that they need to make, they needed to have a white protagonist. Yeah. I mean, ill put to you some figures. In 90 years of the history of the academy awards, under 15 men and women of colour have received oscars for best actors. And as you know, in 2015 2016, there were no nominations for black or non white actors, and that made directors like spike lee and other people boycott the oscars. Have you received short shrift in hollywood, do you think, as a result of your colour, or are you just one of the Success Stories whos swum against the tide . Um. I think in the first part of your statement, i think certainly, there are disparities that have happened with artists who have not been recognised for their work at times. You know, and i think its still being worked on. Its even being worked on by the academy to make it more inclusive, to make more people of colour, different people from different cultural backgrounds and different languages come together. For myself, its difficult because i had a particular reason why i was becoming an artist. At the time when i was becoming an artist, i was using it as a window for me to be able to understand humanity in some way. So even if i had roles, it might not make me satisfied. I may be doing something that everyone would laud and would say was great, but maybe it didnt create a great individualjourney for me. Now, ive had the opportunity to have really, really interesting journeys and different characters and stuff. Perhaps atypical at times, and becoming more typical, you know what i mean . But i want to ask you about that because one role that you did take was, you played a cop, a policeman, in the tv series the shield. And you grew up, you were born in texas, but you moved to la when you were four years of age and you lived in a fairly segregated neighbourhood, and you talked about how you saw acts of police brutality, even against members of your own family and friends and so on and so forth. So then how did you feel about acting the role of a policeman . Again, i think each time, its an opportunity to try to, like, understand more about that situation, understand more about myself, understand more about people. So if im playing a Police Officer, i get the opportunity to walk in their shoes, to try to understand their purview and understand that particular person individually. Its not. I cant say its difficult to play a Police Officer. Maybe i have certain reactions to Police Officers personally because of experiences that ive had. Maybe it put a charge inside of me at times because of things ive seen or because of the way i was brought up, you know. Thats still things that im working on as a human being. But playing the character was another opportunity to try to understand humanity. And for me, that is the goal, thats the goal. But i mean, weve seen obviously the black lives Matter Campaign and even big stars like you are. For instance, im thinking of the case when in 2013, you walked into a new york delhi and you were wrongly accused of shoplifting. Yeah, stopped and frisked. Yes, you were stopped and frisked. I mean, what does that tell us about race in America Today . I mean, certainly, i mean, were looking at all the. Talking about black lives matter, talking about what sort of came out of as statements about, against what was happening inside many different communities, where people of colour were being harmed or hurt by State Officials or police, you know what i mean . And the profiling that goes on with them, in Stop And Frisk Movement and stuff, it makes a statement about, you know, the nation, how far we still need to go. I mean, certainly, i think a young black teenager is, like, 20 times more likely to be killed than his white counterpart. So certainly, we have things that we need to be working on, you know . You campaigned for barack obama in his president ial bid and you said back in 2008, i can feel a tide of change in the country. Did it come . I think that there is still a tide of change. I mean, to try to act like we havent had great progress as a nation and culturally is not true. I mean, were coming from a situation where originally, we came to the nation as slaves. Now, the head of our country, the president , president obama, its a long journey, so to act as if we havent moved anywhere. But he himself said. It doesnt mean we dont have places to go. Look, i think Martin Luther king was saying were owed. Its a promissory note thats been given to us. That promissory note was for life, liberty and happiness. We have not achieved that, so until we truly achieve that, then we havent become the america that we say we want to be. Living up to our constitution or our declaration of independence, were not living in that. But he didnt do very well on race, did he . I mean, even in his final speech as president , barack obama said after my election, there was talk of a post racial america. Such a vision, however well intended, was never realistic for race remains a potent and often divisive force in our society. The fact that there was this first African American president didnt really change things on the ground, did it . And in that sense, it failed. No, i dont think he failed in that respect. I think he moved forward a conversation, moved forward an understanding. It changes the psyche of the nation and the psyche of, in some ways, the world. Like i say, were working on making those things stronger. You know what i mean . But to act like he hasnt succeeded and to act like that doesnt exist and to act like there isnt some success is incorrect because its the truth. So donald trump, of course, in the white house and 88 of African Americans who voted in the president ial election voted for hillary clinton. Only 8 of them voted for donald trump. Does that worry you, then, that hes not going to be a president for all americans, in particular African Americans . Well, that certainly remains to be seen. Im hopeful that hes going to be a president in the end who represents all the constituency, who represents the people of all cultures, races, of sexual preference, of immigrants. Are you optimistic about that . Optimistic . I cant be optimistic, based on some of the statements that have been made. Which statements worry you in particular . Well, theres a lot of statements, you know what i mean there are loads, yeah yes and so theres concerns, but then we have to come to the table and try to find some Common Ground and hopefully push forward the agenda. It doesnt look good, though, does it . I mean, hes taken a swipe at what hes called liberal hollywood. We saw the attack he made on meryl streep after she criticised him at the golden globe awards. Uhhuh. So he doesnt like liberal hollywood. Thats got to include you, doesnt it . I mean, it wont stop me from doing the work in the manner in which ive been doing it for years and continuing to try to strive forward. You know, im hopeful that we will be able to be a nation thats, you know, united. Right now, weve been a nation thats been polarised. And before that, we had a lot of questions. And i think theres a lot of people who are doubting that were gonna move foward, you know, in a positive way, but we have to try to push it forward. And if it doesnt happen, then the people themselves have to stand up and speak. If it doesnt happen, if theyre not being respected, not being treated well, their needs are not being met, then they have to stand up whether thats in protest movements, marches, however to make their voices be heard. Mmm. What is more important to you, your work as an actor or as a humanitarian activist . I mean, my work as a, you know, humanitarian work is particularly important to me. I think at the kernel of it, im always trying and striving to understand humanity and make sure that i see myself in others. And if i see myself in someone else and theyre struggling and suffering, then id like to take up that mantle to try to heal that. Your Peace DevelopmentInitiative Works a great deal with young people affected by violence. In particular, young people, children who were forced to work, to fight as Child Soldiers which, of course, weve seen in uganda, as well as other parts of the world. Er, i dont address itjust by dealing with Child Soldiers. Ive been working with Child Soldiers. Theres 250,000 Child Soldiers in the world, you know. I started working initially in uganda with Child Soldiers. We started working In The South Sudan on our Youth Peacemaker Network to deal with peace and reconciliation and development, and so weve been Training Youths in that way. We started first injonglei state because we thought the conflict might happen there. We wanted to hopefully help stabilise the country if it did. And it did happen, and that was the place where the conflicts happened. But the youths that we have trained have acted as a sort of Early Warning system to help each other get to safety. So that was very powerful and thats what they did. Developing these countries is such a huge, huge problem. You can help the young people, but where are the jobs for them . Even if you get them an education, quality education, theres no Gainful Employment for them and so on. So it must make you feel very frustrated that despite your huge efforts, you still sometimes see that there isnt as much change on the ground as you would like. Um, yes, certainly, i mean. Look, where you deal with a situation like in south sudan where people have been, you know, the civil wars been going on for a long time, theres 50,000 deaths, theres. I dont know, 2. 9 Million People displaced. A Million People displaced. One million are refugees and two internally displaced, and the United Nations is saying that five Million People dont have enough food or are in need of humanitarian assistance. Exactly. And thats nearly half the population. Exactly, but are we to not, like, try to move things forward and help the equation because of those atrocities . Of course you help. No, but im saying that what weve done is worked with the youth, training them in that area. Those youths that went out into the community and trained others in those areas. And in our space, you know. Because as you say, it is a really difficult situation, but they have managed to be able to help during the situation as peace builders, as peace mediators. I mean, one of ouryouths, like, went to get the army to move out of a school, in order to bring the children back inside. He was able to accomplish that. One of our youths has been working on policy. He was accepted as a member of parliament. A lot of these Different Things are going on. There are, like, all these Development Projects that theyre still doing, even during this time of really major atrocities and different difficulties that are going on. Well, a lot of worries about south sudan, as you say. You have met president salva kiir of south sudan and also his erstwhile deputy riek machar, who now leads the Sudan Peoples Liberation Movement in opposition, the main rebel leader. Mm hm. The rivalry between them is so personal, there are those who argue that there will be no peace in south sudan until both men are no longer on the scene, acting politically. Um, i dont know. I think that recently, i think it was in december, they started a dialogue for reconciliation in the country and im hoping that it will be inclusive, this national dialogue, and that everyone will be included and theyll be able to move through it and talk through it. Otherwise, there are a lot of players who are trying to people find Common Ground, to be able to do with the situation. Its like any other situation of this magnitude. Can activists like you really be Agents For Change . I mean, i think that we all can be agents of change if we, like, decide to stand up for certain things. Certainly, like, weve been working in this area. We have thousands of youths in the Protection Civilian Camp that we work with 3,000, i believe, at the moment. You know, were about to go into a refugee camp where well be working with about 10,000 people. So certainly, were dealing with the situation, Building Community learning centres across that state, eastern equatorial state. So certain things are happening during this time of difficulty, during this time of really painful recognitions. Forest whitaker, thank you very much indeed for coming on hardtalk. Thank you. Hello. Wednesday was a real mixed bag of a day right across the british isles. For some, after a dull start, it turned out to be a really glorious day, dare i say, almost springlike. For others, my word, you had to wait. Eventually in the east some saw some brightness after a thoroughly miserable day. It depended on where you were in relation to the Weather Front which started life In The South West and moved ever further to the north east. Into the channel islands, eventually brighter skies into the south east. It wont be a cold start to the day. Given all the cloud around, the front has not quite disappeared. We still have a vigourous area of low pressure close by to the north of scotland to start that day. Notice the isobars squeezing together. That could well signify some gusts of wind around 30, if not a0 Miles Per Hour to start off the day. And you will have some rain and blustery showers, especially so in northern and Western Parts of scotland, and maybe the odd bit close by in Northern Ireland. The odd rogue shower getting across the border into the north of england. Further south, some brightness in the heart of wales, the midlands, towards east anglia into lincolnshire. Further south, again, lots of cloud around and quite a bit of hill fog. That will give you a grey and murky start. That will take some time before it lifts away. But things improving widely in the greater part of england and wales. Rain returning to Northern Ireland eventually push into the north west of wales. Maybe the odd shower may getting into the south Western Parts of england and scotland. All the while, the breeze will be noticeable in northern areas. The top temperatures, 10 11 degrees or so on the day. And thats a trend well see continuing on into the weekend. That puts us above the average for the time of year, closer to eight or nine depending on where you are. Through the course of the evening and overnight, a ribbon of cloud snaking its way across the irish sea into the north of england. Then, come friday, it will leave behind a Tail Of Cloud South West to it diagonally, the best of the brightness on either side. On into the weekend, staying mild. There will be some sunny intervals around. Quite a bit of cloud as well. Rain at times, especially in the north. This is how we start the weekend. Quite a few isobars. So, breezy. This Weather Front will weaken as we go further south. Its this area of cloud and rain that gives that wet prospect for northern areas. Hello. Youre watching bbc world news. Im adnan nawaz. Our top story this hour police in malaysia detain a second woman in connection with the killing of the north korean leaders half brother. Back in the capital, the president changes decades of American Foreign policy in the middle east, and reignites his public feud with his own Intelligence Agencies and the media. Anger boiling up in frances suburbs. The alleged rape of a black man by a Police Officer puts the trust