| Quincy Jones speaks out about China and human rights |
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Apr.19.– It's been more than a year since Quincy Jones was tapped to serve as a culture and art consultant for the 2008 summer Olympic games in Beijing. But instead of artistic planning, he's been focused on human rights. "I don't pretend to be a politician," the music impresario and longtime humanitarian told The Associated Press. "I'm just a musician who cares." Jones, 75, has met with the Chinese ambassador to the United Nations and was scheduled to address a group of Chinese-American business and cultural leaders in Los Angeles Saturday to discuss his position on China's role in the Darfur crisis. China has faced protests from various human-rights groups for its mistreatment of Tibetans and for providing weapons and economic support to Sudan's war-torn Darfur region. Steven Spielberg, who was also named as an Olympic culture and art consultant, abandoned the role in February in protest of China's role in the Darfur conflict. World leaders have also threatened to boycott the Olympics' opening ceremonies because of China's human-rights violations. But Jones remains committed. "It's not my intention to withdraw from the Olympics," he was to say in his speech. "I care too much about Darfur and China and if I can stay in the game with others like us, I feel we can make a difference. … Jones said he is less focused on China's role in Tibetan violence because it "is a difficult one to solve in three months. There's so much history behind it. But Sudan is happening every day. We're talking about babies dying in Darfur, so that one has got me personally." He expects to see a tangible change before the Aug. 8 opening ceremonies … [ complete text ] |
