Academy award-winner Ben Affleck understands that celebrity is a double-edged sword, helping him draw attention to the strife and suffering in the Congo while attracting sceptics dismissive of Hollywood stars and causes.
So the actor and director did a self-described tutorial before launching the Eastern Congo Initiative four years ago, a nonprofit advocacy group dedicated to peace and prosperity in the region.
On Wednesday, he brought his star power and expertise to Washington, meeting with Secretary of State John Kerry and testifying on Capitol Hill.
Affleck, who has made nine trips to Congo, expressed cautious optimism about the outlook for the African nation while imploring lawmakers to remain diligent.
"The accomplishments over the last year were hard fought, but they are fragile and they are reversible," Affleck told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in a packed hearing room.
He also had lunch with several lawmakers and sat down for interviews along with former Sen. Russell Feingold, the special envoy for the African Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Affleck joked about crashing congressional offices and the likely confusion over an actor slated to play Batman in the sequel to Man of Steel.
"What are you doing here, aren't you supposed to be wearing a cape?" Affleck said in an interview with The Associated Press, citing a typical comment.
The star and director of last year's best picture Argo, and star in the upcoming Gone Girl said he was taking the celebrity attention and using it to focus on an issue he cares deeply about - the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
"Outside my family and my work, this is it. This is my legacy. This is the thing I will be identified with. I take it extremely seriously," Affleck said in a 20-minute session in which his passion for the subject was evident.
Congo, the former Belgian colony of about 68 million people, is one of the most volatile in Africa. Violence has claimed the lives of five million people since a regional war that began in 1997 and displaced hundreds of thousands.
