newjerseynewsroom.com

Celebrity Magnet Tom Murro helped by a statesman

BY ANDREW LAGOMARSINO

NEWJERSEYNEWSROOM.COM

He's tall, twiggy thin and bespectacled. And he's a hero to many.

Paul Kagame, the President of Rwanda, has seen a lifetime of pain and suffering ... and his gentle act of kindness made an impression at the Tribeca Film Festival in Manhattan recently.

After all, how many presidents personally go out of their way and help a total stranger in public?

"There I was, standing in the rain, getting soaked while waiting for a cab after watching the screening of "Earth Made of Glass,"" said Tom Murro, who covers the entertainment and celebrity scene for NewJerseyNewsroom.com.

"Suddenly, President Kagame removed himself from his security detail, and was actually kind enough to walk over and put his hand on my shoulder and share his umbrella with me.

"He was cordial and gracious and we spoke briefly of the documentary which portrays him in an heroic light.

"We shook hands. I thanked him and complimented him on his part in the movie and his work as a president," said Murro, who has a knack for being in the right place at the right time and had a one-on-one encounter with President Barack Obama recently.

Kagame spoke at the world premiere screening of "Earth Made of Glass," a film that looks at the horrific 1994 genocide in Rwanda from both personal and political perspectives.

Sixteen years ago the world watched in horror as 800,000 Rwandans were murdered. Kagame led the Rwandan Patriotic Front, a guerrilla army that was outnumbered two to one but ultimately overthrew the government and ended the bloodshed.

"We have to recognize and acknowledge the difficulties (of Rwanda). We have to move forward. There are immense difficulties of reconciliation," President Kagame said, adding, "There was a powerful story told in the film. The truth has to be known. We have to build on that."

In 2003, Kagame won a landslide victory (he received 95 percent of the popular vote) to become Rwanda's president and leads a country that is now considered by many as a model for developing countries — Africa's biggest success story.

Kagame's days as a general and guerrilla fighter are behind him. Now he's a statesman.

"My respect and enthusiasm for softness and diplomacy and negotiations — really reaching out to people — has only been growing, Kagame recently said in an interview.

He reached out at Tribeca and happily shielded a stranger from the rain ... and his actions spoke volumes.