You’ve heard of Colin Firth, the actor? He won an Academy Award for his portrayal of King George VI in “The King’s Speech.”

Well, this notable actor has expressed his own dislike of being the public face of activism. He is quoted as saying, in 2009, “Why do you have to hear it from an actor? I have a profound dislike of activism. I don’t enjoy hearing dispatches from the crisis zone delivered by actors and rock stars.” 

But it all comes down to a larger sense of conscience.

Despite all of that, he is getting behind the smallest tribe in the world, who faces extinction thanks to what is being called a genocide.

Logging companies exploiting Brazil’s rainforest have been accused by human rights organizations of using gunmen to wipe out the Awá, a tribe of just 355. Survival International, with backing from Firth, is campaigning to stop the slaughter.

According to a recent article in the U.K’s Guardian, “People are pouring on to the Awá’s land, building illegal settlements, running cattle ranches. Hired gunmen – known aspistoleros – are reported to be hunting Awá who have stood in the way of land-grabbers. Members of the tribe describe seeing their families wiped out. Human rights campaigners say the tribe has reached a tipping point and only immediate action by the Brazilian government to prevent logging can save the tribe.”

The campaign to draw attention to this appalling crisis is launching this week by Survival International.

Read the entire story on the Guardian website.