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| Rwandan genocide-- Innocent children one of its greatest victims |
In the film Hotel Rwanda, we see what mass genocide was like for the Rwandan people. In only roughly about three months, millions of people were killed by this persecution. What is most striking about this film, and as Dr. McCay mentions in her lecture, is that there seemed to be a complete lack of willingness to help Rwanda during this by by most all other countries. Despite occurring during a time when media and news was able to rapidly spread, this news had no effect. Fortunately, Paul Rusesabagina is able to help save over a thousand people by keeping them shelter in his hotel. The reason behind the Rwandan genocide was the ever longstanding competition between the Tutsi who were typically more powerful and Hutu who were greater in population and finally took away the power from the Tutsi around the 1960s. The assassination of Habyarimana unfortunately resulted in the Hutus' execution of mass killings of the Tutsi people and anti-hate Hutus who were very unfavorably labeled as traitors to their people and for not wanting to kill the "cockroaches" and the Tutsi were renamed.
The Hotel becomes a very significant aspect of the movie, other than reasons that are not so obvious, including the idea that very quickly Rwanda was in a state where they needed more and more refugee camps because of the greater danger that was being imposed on them and the number of people that were being killed as well as the importance of it keeping its reputation as a 4 star hotel. This is important, as Paul states, because it is the only thing keeping them alive, which I interpreted to represent their lives as well as their people as a whole, their culture, their business, their economy, their land, etc. This idea is supported as there are many more economic and social references made to the Hotel as the film goes on. When the Hutu army comes and orders all of the refugees and Paul out of the Hotel (and Paul tells his family to hide on the roof) there are over 900 people who will be forced to most likely face their death. Paul ironically calls from the hotel phone is order to receive help from the UN who then tells Paul no one will assist Rwanda because they do not feel it is worth saving, as this includes Americans, Europeans, and especially the French. They reach out for assistance but keep getting denied. Western powers, at this time, are not willing to take a risk and save these people. A UN soldier in the movie even claims, at one point, that he is a "peacekeeper not a peacemaker." But what line is being drawn there, and where is there even a distinction? To what extent is someone even being a peacekeeper but ignoring all of the death and mass murder that is going on around them? To maintain peace there must be action if there is evil present. To keep peace, you make peace. This notion even relates back to a quote earlier in the film by a media recorder who states, "I think people see this footage at home and say 'Oh my God that's horrible' and then go on eating their dinners." Passiveness can be genocide's greatest support. Meanwhile, Paul is being told that the rich cockroaches he is keeping in his hotel will no longer have any need for their money; that it will be no good to them anymore. Soon "all the Tutsis will be dead." He even challenges Paul when he asks, "How can you kill us all?" As mentioned, there is a continuous decline for overall outlook for the people of Rwanda in every sense of the word.
Paul tries to remain encouraged, however, and asks the people to try to get as much outside help as possible and imagine passing the sentiment to them through the phone that if they are to let go of our hand asking for help, we will die. I found this to be one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. As Dr. McCay mentions in her lecture, it is ironic how the World Cup is going on at the same time as the Rwandan genocide. It is so sad to think that so many people turned a blind eye to what was going on in Rwanda-- and yet, you assume, too, that not only was it just people, but exposure to what was going on was minimal as well due to the probable. complete lack of media attention this genocide was receiving on the news, etc. This crisis was not even important enough to make it to television. One other striking scene, to me, was when Paul gets told, "You aren't even a nigger. You're an African. Because of that, they aren't going to stop this Paul." There is just a complete mentality of hatred, disregard, and ignorance.
This theme continues in the novel Murambi, the Book of Bones. The story recounts the life and sentiment of a Rwandan history teacher, Cornelius, who was living in Djibouti at the time of the genocide. he returns to Rwanda to try to comprehend the death of his family and to write a play about all the events that he has seen and witnessed for himself. As the novel continues, Cornelius begins to understand one of the most important lessons concerning genocide: only our own humanity can save themselves. Cornelius takes it upon himself to bear witness to all of the atrocities going on around him and the lack of what humanity is doing to help themselves. At one point in the novel it states in reference to talking to people about Djibouti, "Djibouti had fascinated him. he explained to Stanley and Jessica that it was an immense expanse of stone, a country of vivid colors, often red or black. He told them that Djibouti had made him experience a strange emptiness and that no country in the world offered itself up so immodestly to the curiosity of strangers. There, everything was visible to the naked eye, including misery, which everywhere took so much trouble to escape attention... Cornelius had a lot of reasons to love Djibouti but the strongest was perhaps this: it was the only place in the world where he had the feeling that one could start something new (Diop 37)." In this quote we see the importance of having faith in humanity and that there could be hope for a place that experiences great genocide. Misery and trouble are everywhere, but it all must be overcome.
The character Jessica seems to keep this same sentiment. Throughout the text she is described as thin and frail and weak with the effects of starvation and hunger. In the text she says, "Should we just sit back and wait for our killers or try to do something so that our country can go back to being normal? Between our futures and ourselves, unknown people had planted a sort of giant machete. Try as you might, you couldn't ignore it. The tragedy would always end up catching you. because people came into our house one night and massacred all your family. Because in our country where you live in exile, you always end up feeling in the way (Diop 31)." Jessica struggles with the elements associated with tragedy, including loss of family, the uncertainty of the future, and her memories that haunt her (as mentioned around page 30). Ultimately, she is a character who has her own personal struggles and feelings she must overcome that are associated with the genocide, but she is aware of the "greatness" that is behind what is going on--people needed to embrace the tragedy, try all that they could to fight against it and resist, and see hope. In both Murambi, the Book of Bones and Hotel Rwanda, we see these actions as the ultimate redeemers.
The Hotel becomes a very significant aspect of the movie, other than reasons that are not so obvious, including the idea that very quickly Rwanda was in a state where they needed more and more refugee camps because of the greater danger that was being imposed on them and the number of people that were being killed as well as the importance of it keeping its reputation as a 4 star hotel. This is important, as Paul states, because it is the only thing keeping them alive, which I interpreted to represent their lives as well as their people as a whole, their culture, their business, their economy, their land, etc. This idea is supported as there are many more economic and social references made to the Hotel as the film goes on. When the Hutu army comes and orders all of the refugees and Paul out of the Hotel (and Paul tells his family to hide on the roof) there are over 900 people who will be forced to most likely face their death. Paul ironically calls from the hotel phone is order to receive help from the UN who then tells Paul no one will assist Rwanda because they do not feel it is worth saving, as this includes Americans, Europeans, and especially the French. They reach out for assistance but keep getting denied. Western powers, at this time, are not willing to take a risk and save these people. A UN soldier in the movie even claims, at one point, that he is a "peacekeeper not a peacemaker." But what line is being drawn there, and where is there even a distinction? To what extent is someone even being a peacekeeper but ignoring all of the death and mass murder that is going on around them? To maintain peace there must be action if there is evil present. To keep peace, you make peace. This notion even relates back to a quote earlier in the film by a media recorder who states, "I think people see this footage at home and say 'Oh my God that's horrible' and then go on eating their dinners." Passiveness can be genocide's greatest support. Meanwhile, Paul is being told that the rich cockroaches he is keeping in his hotel will no longer have any need for their money; that it will be no good to them anymore. Soon "all the Tutsis will be dead." He even challenges Paul when he asks, "How can you kill us all?" As mentioned, there is a continuous decline for overall outlook for the people of Rwanda in every sense of the word.
Paul tries to remain encouraged, however, and asks the people to try to get as much outside help as possible and imagine passing the sentiment to them through the phone that if they are to let go of our hand asking for help, we will die. I found this to be one of the most powerful scenes in the movie. As Dr. McCay mentions in her lecture, it is ironic how the World Cup is going on at the same time as the Rwandan genocide. It is so sad to think that so many people turned a blind eye to what was going on in Rwanda-- and yet, you assume, too, that not only was it just people, but exposure to what was going on was minimal as well due to the probable. complete lack of media attention this genocide was receiving on the news, etc. This crisis was not even important enough to make it to television. One other striking scene, to me, was when Paul gets told, "You aren't even a nigger. You're an African. Because of that, they aren't going to stop this Paul." There is just a complete mentality of hatred, disregard, and ignorance.
This theme continues in the novel Murambi, the Book of Bones. The story recounts the life and sentiment of a Rwandan history teacher, Cornelius, who was living in Djibouti at the time of the genocide. he returns to Rwanda to try to comprehend the death of his family and to write a play about all the events that he has seen and witnessed for himself. As the novel continues, Cornelius begins to understand one of the most important lessons concerning genocide: only our own humanity can save themselves. Cornelius takes it upon himself to bear witness to all of the atrocities going on around him and the lack of what humanity is doing to help themselves. At one point in the novel it states in reference to talking to people about Djibouti, "Djibouti had fascinated him. he explained to Stanley and Jessica that it was an immense expanse of stone, a country of vivid colors, often red or black. He told them that Djibouti had made him experience a strange emptiness and that no country in the world offered itself up so immodestly to the curiosity of strangers. There, everything was visible to the naked eye, including misery, which everywhere took so much trouble to escape attention... Cornelius had a lot of reasons to love Djibouti but the strongest was perhaps this: it was the only place in the world where he had the feeling that one could start something new (Diop 37)." In this quote we see the importance of having faith in humanity and that there could be hope for a place that experiences great genocide. Misery and trouble are everywhere, but it all must be overcome.
The character Jessica seems to keep this same sentiment. Throughout the text she is described as thin and frail and weak with the effects of starvation and hunger. In the text she says, "Should we just sit back and wait for our killers or try to do something so that our country can go back to being normal? Between our futures and ourselves, unknown people had planted a sort of giant machete. Try as you might, you couldn't ignore it. The tragedy would always end up catching you. because people came into our house one night and massacred all your family. Because in our country where you live in exile, you always end up feeling in the way (Diop 31)." Jessica struggles with the elements associated with tragedy, including loss of family, the uncertainty of the future, and her memories that haunt her (as mentioned around page 30). Ultimately, she is a character who has her own personal struggles and feelings she must overcome that are associated with the genocide, but she is aware of the "greatness" that is behind what is going on--people needed to embrace the tragedy, try all that they could to fight against it and resist, and see hope. In both Murambi, the Book of Bones and Hotel Rwanda, we see these actions as the ultimate redeemers.
I agree with the main theme in the novel, Murambi. Only humanity can save themselves. I related a lot to this in my post this week. It is disturbing that the Jews and Tutsis, in this case, had to rely on the Germans and Hutus in order to save their lives and that their lives were literally in the enemy's hands. This should not work that way, but the most disturbing part was that this usually ended up on sure death for a Jew or Tutsi. Humans should never have the power to kill or decide who is inferior to another. Killing makes a person the lowest of the low and seeing how other people have to rely on another to live, and they end up getting murdered in a horrific way, shows that humanity is not ready to save itself. We are far from peace and not progressing. The Holocaust was sworn to never happen again, yet in 1994 another gruesome genocide occurred. This cycle will keep going until humanity rises above revenge and killing.
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