Emma Watson in conversation with Dr. Denis Mukwege, Emmanuel Centre

Throughout her teenage years, Emma Watson was best known for playing Hermione Granger in the Harry Potter films. Her acting career has continued into her twenties, with lead roles in films including The Perks of Being a Wallflower (2012) and Beauty and the Beast (2017).

On the side of this, Watson has built up a reputation for being an avid women’s rights campaigner. Her work has taken her to countries such as Bangladesh, Canada, Uruguay, and Zambia to promote gender equality. In 2014, when she was 24 years old, Watson was appointed as a UN Women Goodwill ambassador, a role which has seen her launch the UN Women campaign HeForShe.

Watson is in conversation with 2018 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dr. Denis Mukwege, at the Emmanuel Centre in London on 15 May. The talk, for which tickets are now available, is a chance to hear Dr. Mukwege speak about his work campaigning to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of armed conflict, and a rare chance to hear Watson speak about her own work as an activist and Global Goodwill Ambassador for the U.N.

Dr. Denis Mukege

Dr. Mukwege has devoted his career to treating the victims of rape by Congolese rebels. In 1999, he founded the Panzi Hospital, a clinic dedicated to gynaecological care. When war broke out shortly after, the hospital became a refuge for thousands of women subjected to horrifying sexual violence. Dr. Mukwege’s work has put his own life – and the lives of those close to him – in danger. In 2012, his attempts to bring the problem of wartime rape to the attention of the U.N. led to his daughters being taken hostage and the assassination of his bodyguard. Despite this, he continues to work and live at the Panzi Hospital where he performs up to ten reconstructive surgeries every day.

Watson and Dr. Mukwege are discussing his work and philanthropy, and exploring what can be done to bring about a safer, fairer future for women and girls. The conversation is being opened by the London-based New York Times international correspondent Ellen Barry.