AP Photo/Ed Zurga
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Manute Bol died recently and his life seems worth celebrating here on Planet Green not because of his role as an athlete, but because of his dedication to a cause. He was a basketball player from Sudan and I've never followed basketball but I do follow news in Sudan, and find Bol's story an inspiration for anyone with a heart.
As the Wall Street Journal points out, "Bol reportedly gave most of his fortune, estimated at $6 million, to aid Sudanese refugees. As one twitter feed aptly put it: 'Most NBA cats go broke on cars, jewelry & groupies. Manute Bol went broke building hospitals.'"
His dedication to improving conditions in his country was incessant. Just before his death, he was in Sudan and stayed a week longer than planned—despite knowing he needed medical treatment—because the president asked him to help with elections. KanasCity.com describes how clear it was that he died for his country: "Bol said in the hospital “I did it” in having the election turn out the right way."
Several years ago, the story continues, Bol's "family was wiped out by Darfurians, but when Darfur was under attack, Bol was one of the first Sudanese to speak out in support. He told his people that extremists were the enemy, not Muslims."
He is thought to have given almost all of his estimated $6 million fortune to save lives, build schools, and bring peace to Sudan.
Perhaps most incredible is that he didn't stop when his career began to fade. Again from the Wall Street Journal:
When his fortune dried up, Bol raised more money for charity by doing what most athletes would find humiliating: He turned himself into a humorous spectacle. Bol was hired, for example, as a horse jockey, hockey player and celebrity boxer. Some Americans simply found amusement in the absurdity of him on a horse or skates. And who could deny the comic potential of Bol boxing William "the Refrigerator" Perry, the 335-pound former defensive linemen of the Chicago Bears?
Bol agreed to be a clown. But he was not willing to be mocked for his own personal gain as so many reality-television stars are. Bol let himself be ridiculed on behalf of suffering strangers in the Sudan.
At 7 feet, 7 inches, Bol had basketball accomplishments to speak of, but his legacy will be the drive he had, until his very last days, to help his country. The Washington Post quotes Charles Barkley saying, "I'll tell you this -- if everyone in the world was a Manute Bol, it's a world I'd want to live in."
More on Sudan:
Climate Change to Blame for Darfur Says Ban Ki Moon
50 Million Acres in Africa Snapped Up in 'Massive Neocolonial Grab'
When Population Growth And Resource Availability Collide
