Sergio Vieira de Mello may be the most important person you’ve never heard of. Even well-informed people can be excused for not recognizing his name. The Brazilian diplomat and humanitarian served the United Nations for more than 30 years as the consummate troubleshooter. Sergio—as everyone called him—came to be seen as a cross between James Bond and Bobby Kennedy.
Sergio’s specialty was bringing peace to war-torn regions. It helped that he was a charming, handsome man. But his main tool was an ability to understand other cultures and use that understanding to do something constructive. The world lost this gifted diplomat in 2003 when an Al Qaeda bomber killed Sergio and 20 others in a Baghdad hotel.
Tonight, HBO will air the 94-minute documentary Sergio. It chronicles his life and many successes. Teaching Tolerance has created the teaching guide for the film. This guide provides different lenses through which students can view Sergio’s life. They are encouraged to listen, speak, read and write to demonstrate their understanding of three different themes in the film: service to others, bridging cultural gaps and human rights.
Make time to see Sergio and use it with your students.
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