Baudot- Week 8: District 9

A scene from the film District 9. 

Over the course of the semester thus far, we have learned about several various forms of cultural and social genocide that has occurred over the course of history. District 9 (a film meant to mimic a time or apartheid), for me personally, has been one of the most unique, yet also best illustrated way in which the "wrongness" behind cultural genocide, killing, and mass extermination is wrong and destructive. In the film, we meet the main character Wikus tests alien technology that he stumbles upon in one of the alien's homes and, as a result, takes on alien DNA, which eventually yet gradually takes over his body over several hours. He becomes what they call a "prawn." MNU then conducts various tests on him, that, as a result, force Wikus to recognize the severity of the situation. One scene is very striking as he is being tested-- they discover that his new hand can operate alien weapons/guns, and they use an alleged random  "prawn" to be the test of his aim. He is branded and marked with a big red 'X' and the way in which the scene is shot, one can see that he is afraid for his life and does not know what to expect. Wikus begs not to have to kill him, but they force him to follow through. This scene is very predictive of the future violence that the MNU carries out against District 9 throughout the remainder of the film. There is an interesting subplot going on in which Smit lies to the press and the public and says that Wikus has been infected by an alien STD, as he was having intercourse with the prawns. Not only does Wikus' wife not feel comfortable to be with her husband who is now in permanent exile because of his alien deformities, but she does not know how to believe (her husband or her father) about the truth of what has happened to Wikus. There is an emotional phone calls that takes place between Wikus and his wife in which he begs her to "please not give up" on him.

Arguably, this subplot that occurs in the novel is highly symbolic of the types of genocide that we have learned about in two other films-- The Pianist and Hotel Rwanda. For Wikus, the command module becomes a source of power for him- a way in which to fight back against the oppressors. Christopher's son ultimately activates the mother-ship and an activated, alien battle suit which is used to kill Obesandjo and his man before they are able to kill Wikus and is even able to save Christopher while killing men from the MNU as well. How does this scene relate to the other films? Wikus comes to represent the ultimate fight and successful win against oppression, genocide, killing, prejudice, and more. There are a series of interviews that close the film, and they all question what the future will be like for Wikus and whether or not Christopher will return. Will he want to retaliate or reconcile is the big question that the movie seems to raise. MNU is destroyed and exposed for their illegal experiments and tests, and District 10 is build up upon the destruction of District 9. Wikus and his wife also seem to be connected still (in the flower scene) despite his transformation. District 9 and 10 represent concentration camps or places in the world like Rwanda that experience turmoil and oppression. MNU is arguably representative of perhaps the United Nations in their refusal to assist Rwanda at first when they needed help the most, or they could even be argued to represent the German soldiers who killed innocent, Jewish victims based on their degrading and inhumane views of the Jewish people. To both the MNU and Nazi Germany, for example, the people that they committed mass genocide towards were people that they felt had no place for existence on this earth. District 9 is much different, however, in that is shows its audience a positive triumph over this unacceptable behavior. For The Pianist, his talent is oppressed, and he is unable to perform and play his music for over 2 years, and this form of artistic oppression is comparable to Wikus in the fact that his job, a job that he clearly loved as evidenced by the opening scenes of the film and the excitement and passion that he put into his work, is taken away from him when he is betrayed by his own company and the employees that he trained. All 3 films show the totality of loss and the possible triumph over evil.

As one of the blackboard articles states from this week, "Corporations state that they must go abroad to compete to survive. A recent economic analysis authorized by Congress reveals that American labor has interests similar to those of South African labor. It is impossible to separate the impact on the domestic economy of United States investment in only 1 country, but the report does summarize the effect of total foreign US investment on the American economy... The corporations are gaining profit at the expense of both South African and American labor (Thompson 55)." I found this to be a very interesting bit of information in terms of how dependency of one nation can be reliant or, or even benefit from, the countries in which they are oppressing. If competition and a country's survival is dependent on these countries, it is amazing that one would chose to hone in on these "prejudices" and sentiments of hatred towards the people of these countries. Raising the question of profit is also an interesting concept because in all of the films that we have seen this semester, "profit" is always in the hands of the oppressor. It is also interesting because it is arguable that profit can often be the driving force behind these oppressors to take control and dominate, despite the fact that they oppress against those that could be necessary for their competitive, international, success. On a different note, one article for Week 7 regarding Rwandan genocide states, "Visual representations, photojournalistic and otherwise, are important components of many genocide discourses. It may be argued that, in the era of the witness, visual representations and especially photojournalism have contributed a great deal to the delocalization and internationalization of the memory of war and genocide. Photojournalism, however, covers and bears witness to different atrocities to different degrees (Moller 115)." While elements of photojournalism  do not apply to The Pianist or fully to District 9, the element of journalism as a whole is important because of the idea it capitulates of capturing these types of genocides and the role it plays in history. In District 9 and Hotel Rwanda, both films make it point to let the audience know that capturing these moments of genocide are important to gain a message from the events-- the destruction of genocide. Whether the element of journalism is destroyed and lost from an employee or whether media is used to exploit genocide or use it as a means of media attention and attraction, the reaction by the receiver seems to be most critical. There needs to be a reaction to the "wrong" that is occurring, and something should be done to put a stop to genocide. 

J. Rogers- District 9

When discussing genocide as a practice, it is impossible to ignore the factors which lead up to it. These are the motives and reasons for a determined extermination of a group of people, or their culture. Often times genocides occur along racial boundaries, a construct that stirs most every society.

Racial theories such as phrenology and eugenics, for instance, construct non-white races as being inferior to their white counterparts. This is evident in South Africa, where the apartheid regime sought to have blacks and whites develop separately. We can see in the U.S. Supreme Court's ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that separateness is inherently unequal, and no one can make the argument that the tribal lands that were set up for blacks to live in South Africa were set up for blacks to develop equally with whites, as we can see from the article on the apartheid timeline.

In District 9, the allegory of apartheid is apparent. The aliens, or prawns, as they are derogatorily called, represent black Africans. Their differences are quite pronounced, unlike those of whites and blacks, whose only physical difference is skin color. Much like humans, the aliens seek nothing more than to live a happy life, and provide for their families who they love. We see that with Christopher, once Wikus takes the time to get to know him.

Often times these racial divides are used for economic or political gain. Disenfranchising and economically marginalizing groups allows for another group to make gains they otherwise would be unable to make. The marginalized group often has little choice but to become a tool of their ruling class by becoming underpaid and disrespected service workers. The political aspect of genocide can clearly be seen in Hotel Rwanda, where the Hutus seek retribution for the Tutsis higher standard of living in the formerly Belgian Rwanda. Instead of looking beyond the ills of the past, they are overcome by their anger and seek to rid their nation of the Tutsis.

A similar occurrence can be seen in the Jewish Holocaust. Public opinion of Jews in Europe was very negative even before the extermination began. Many Jews were still economically successful even in post-WWI Germany, and so their differentness was highlighted by many who sought to remove them from society. Since they had physical, religious, and cultural differences from the German majority, they were chosen as a target of anger. In The Pianist, the scenes in the Jewish ghettoes show this clearly. The article on music and trauma in The Pianist that was found in Week 4's course material also displays the economic motivations for the removal of Jews from Germany.

The racial, economic, and political causes and results of genocides and those actions leading up to extermination have been evident throughout the course. The fact that such violent and brutal tactics take place throughout the world and throughout history shows a distinct pattern of marginalization and disrespect for the victims of genocide, over a period of time. It is the responsibility of all world citizens to understand these preceding factors, so that genocides can be stopped before they happen. If not, we will only be able to curtail the genocides that have already begun, and at that point, it will surely be too late for the victims and their families who they love so dearly.

Ramon- Rwanda

Allow me to begin with stating the role of the West in this conflict. The West began this conflict early in the 20^th Century when Belgium invaded Rwanda for territory and resources. Rwanda gained their freedom back over time, but Belgium still remained within the people of Rwanda. When Belgians colonized Rwanda, Belgians moved to Rwanda and spawned a Creole type of mix of Belgian and Native Rwandans. Thus, a new sub category culture of Africans was created. The Tutsis were taller and light skinned than the Hutus due to Belgian blood. At least, so I’ve learned. However, the question still remains of why the West did not step in well enough to stop the genocide in Rwanda. My answer: The West simply did not care about Africa. Of course the West knew about Africa’s valuable resources. However, the West was already surviving without accessing these resources to begin with.

We now turn to Paul Russesabinga of Hotel Rwanda. Paul is a wealthy Hutu who is the manager of a hotel in genocide-torn Rwanda. Paul’s main worry was not the success of his exquisite hotel. He was most concerned about the protection of his Tutsi wife. Paul’s story in a way mirrors that of Schindler. Schindler’s main motive in saving the Jews was to make money, but that motive turned to a desire to help those being persecuted. Paul’s motive was to protect his family. However, word soon was spread that he was protecting Tutsis at his hotel. All of a sudden, his family became quite large.

There are two characters in Murambi: Book of Bones I would like to discuss; Dr. Joseph Karekezi and Faustin Gasana. Both of these characters are antagonistic in the novel. When we look at the mind of the Hutu murderers, we should look at their aims and motives. Many of the higher-up Hutus, such as Dr. Karekezi and Gasana have distinct political motives in this genocide. Lets be clear, the breakout of the immediate conflict was an assassination of the Hutu President. Gasana, like many other Hutus, believed that the Tutsis were to blame for the Prime Minister’s plane crash. I have my own theories that the Prime Minister was merely a scapegoat for the Hutus to have a reason to eliminate the Tutsis from Rwanda. Dr. Karekezi attempted to play both sides of the fence during this conflict. He wanted to stand up for the rights of the Tutsis, but he also supported the Hutus with supplies and other necessities to follow through with the extermination of the “cockroaches.”

Gommel: Rwandan Genocide

Boubacar Boris Diop “is both fascinated and horrified by the role that the media played in the Rwandan genocide. While soccer matches keep the rest of the world entertained, in Rwanda the radio takes on a most sinister role…goading people to murder.”

The Rwandan genocide that culminated in 1994 with the deaths of nearly a million people strikes at the core of one’s being. Boubacar Boris Diop in Murambi, The Book of Bones brings to the forefront the agony of fear and loss during the three month reign of terror upon the Tutsis. His detailed account of the horror is evidenced through the eyes of several different characters both Hutus and Tutsis. But especially gruesome are the accounts of the malicious treatment of the Tutsi women. Hotel Rwanda brings this fear to life in visual images seen through the lens of Paul Russesabinga, the manager of the Milles Collines hotel. Russesabinga was a Hutu married to a Tutsi who risked his life to protect his family and to save both Tutsis and Hutus that took refuge at the Four-Star hotel in Rwanda. Initially there was protection provided by the West-the United Nations, France and Belgium. But when U.N. members were killed, the world assembled and the West decided that the blacks of Africa with their savage behavior was not worth fighting for or protecting; and deserted Rwanda. One of the most disturbing scenes after the West left was when Paul and Gregoire traveled to get supplies. Paul screamed at Gregoire because he evidently drove off the road. To his dismay, he found they were on the road, the tumultuous jolts to the vehicle were from the bodies of the slaughtered Tutsis covering every inch of the road. How could anyone continually maim one person after another, and so up close and personal with the use of machetes, sticks and studded clubs? This was truly inhumanity at its lowest degree.

Yet it is unbelievable how this genocide even came to pass. It was not a story of ethnic hatred from "time immemorial;" as Africans are wont to being depicted. It was basically a product of Belgian colonization in 1959 that brought division between the people primarily because of differences in physical attributes. The Belgians gave authority to rule to the Rwandans that looked less “other” than themselves. Those lighter skinned, taller Rwandans that had finer noses and smaller lips were given the ethnic identity of Tutsi. The “other” darker skinned Rwandans excluded from governing were called Hutus. The division to some degree wrought hatred, jealousy, fear, and ostracism. However the tables later turned when the Hutus came into power. Power can bring corruption; although to many the ethnic titles made little difference in regards to friendship and even marriage. Yet some play upon such division and foster that mindset unto their children forming prejudices and “otherness” asserting no commonality, as could be seen in the character of Faustin Gasana, in Murambi.

Faustin Gasana was a Hutu Interahamwe militia man. His story begins with all the meetings he is attending to plot the massacre of the Tutsis. The Hutu’s proclaim their president has been murdered by the Tutsis who shot the president’s plane down; thus escalating the need for retaliation. However the prospect has been in the making for some time with murders and fear rising. Faustin’s father is a Hutu patriot with a picture of President Habyarimana above his bed. His father despises the Tutsis and will not even say the word, preferring to call them cockroaches – Inyenzi. Father has fostered great prejudice in his son as well. They hold no respect for the Tutsis perpetuated by the resentment of the divisions made between them by the West. Father doesn’t hold much respect for his son either, as a leader in the Interahamwe. He calls his son’s generation incompetent idiots, believing the younger generation is not serious enough about the work of killing “all” the Tutsis. Getting drunk in preparation is ignorant. They must be superbly organized or ultimately they will be unsuccessful like Hitler for he didn’t kill all the Jews. “You cannot fail.” I find Faustin becomes slightly hesitant about all of this when he begins to think “ –strange ideas begin to assail me,” after his father refuses to take his hand. He realizes he might have to kill, though he says it won’t bother him since this hateful prejudice had been drilled into him by his father. He even remembers some people say we can get along. He’s a little resentful of his father’s behavior, and it seems he ponders why I am I so coerced by this man who only insults me and offers no encouragement. Faustin is just a pawn to do what his father’s generation couldn’t. Faustin sees the concern of his family. His mother won’t even make eye contact with him. Of course he said how his Father was always cruel to his Mother, but she never said anything. So perhaps no eye contact shows she disagrees with his Father. Yet he sees the neighbors watching and thinks they are proud of him and he is intoxicated by this. How odd it is that he eats at a Tutsi owned restaurant knowing he will destroy its owner tomorrow. But he must hurry out with the tension of the owner. Of course, his girlfriend reassures him. She understands “the country is living a decisive moment.” She nonchalantly speaks of how excited the young men are that they get to rape any woman they want whenever they want. They find it pleasant that they don’t have to worry about having a long, intimate, complex, often discouraging relationship with a woman. Marie-Helene just doesn’t want Faustin to get caught up in that. He promises, but who knows. But reassured by his girlfriend, then cheered on by his men thus building up Faustin’s self-esteem and his desire for revenge (or justice) they will now play with their machetes to the battle cry of Tubatsembatsembe! Let’s exterminate them!

The book did not only focus on the three months of massacre, but fast-forwarded to four years later where Cornelius and all of Rwanda had to deal with the repercussions of the Rwandan genocide while the world was watching the World Cup in America. Simeon gives us a glimpse into what will be entailed to avoid genocide in the future: We must realize that, “Evil is within each one of us.” You cannot rely on revenge for it is a continual cycle of evil. “You have suffered, but that does not make you any better than those who made you suffer.” This can be a hard concept to imagine. But he tells Cornelius (and us) we must remember we are all people, “that you are not better than them… There comes a time when you have to stop shedding blood in a country. Each one of you must have the strength to believe that that moment is here.” I believe Boubacar Diop wants each one of us to have the strength to share that message.

J. Rogers- Rwandan Genocide

Rwandan refugees in Tanzania in 1994

Yet another recent genocide, one that took place in all of our lifetimes, is an excellent segue from Sarajevo. Dr. McCray's comments about King Leopold last week ring more loudly than ever in discussion of Rwanda. Belgium invaded Rwanda in 1916, taking over the colony from the Germans who were obviously extremely occupied with World War I. The fact that the blog post requests we discuss international powers' role in the genocide is extremely prescient, as their roles are clearly defined by their inaction.

In Hotel Rwanda, we see Paul Rusesabagina as an overwhelmed hotel manager in the throes of ethnic cleansing. The radio broadcasts call for violence against the "tall trees," the Tutsis who had been in control of the country for so long since decolonization. His heroic actions and monetary sacrifices lead to over a thousand people's lives being saved.

What interests me most about the role of international powers in the conflict is not so much the West's inaction. Military actions by world powers only occur for either political or economic reasons, for the most part. The United States involves itself in Middle East affairs due to the region's close proximity to Europe, and their vast resources, mostly oil. Involvement in Vietnam was due to a goal of stopping the spread of communism in a region that clearly was choosing just that. Due to Rwanda's tiny size and dearth of resources, the U.S. and other powers' lack of interest does not surprise me. It is tragic, no doubt, that curbing so much human suffering is not on the agenda of world leaders, but it seems history would suggest this is how politics are played.

What is of much greater interest to me is the role of Belgium in the conflict. It is the Belgium colonial government that decided to lift Tutsis to the forefront of politics in the region even before decolonization. Their exit led to a Hutu military state that often sought to remove Tutsis from their positions of power as intellectuals and professionals. This ethnic tension can only be blamed on the forces of colonialism. Belgium left its former colonies to suffer.

The novel, Murambi: Book of Bones, describes the genocide from the vision of an historian. His ability to construct the feelings many in the conflict were likely experiencing is quite impressive. The character I found to be most indicative of not only the ethnic tension but the lasting results of colonialism was Dr. Joseph Karekezi. He publicly stood for the rights of Tutsis as humans and fellow countrymen, but was secretly funding Hutu aims of genocide. When he herds many Tutsis, including his own wife and children, into what they believe is a safe haven, only to have them killed by troops, we see the complete destruction of humanity found in Rwandan society. The ethnic divides have run so deep since the first colonists arrive that Dr. Karekezi sees himself as a Hutu first, and a father and husband second. He believes that the "tall trees" must be cut down, and does what he believes he must to secure his Hutu identity. This loss of humanity was pervasive in the country, even reaching educated, respected doctors. The fact that even Karekezi was swept into the violence and power struggle of the nation shows the pervasive lack of humanity that colonialism leaves in its wake.

Raymond: Week 7 Hotel Rwanda & Murambi, the Book of Bones

Again we are faced in both the movie and the film of fight over power. For many years the Tutsis people were thought of as powerful and strong with a great influence over the Hutus people. The Hutus despite the lack of respect they received from the Tutsis people were the majority of the population. The hatred toward one another was so great. The Tutsis people wanted power, this is what brought us to the massive genocide that last for three months in Rwanda. We see the Hutus perpetrate so much more violence, which was driving by the anger. This quickly resulted in many more Tutsis people killed. There were so killed in such a relativity short period of time in this genocide, which is what made this so impressionable. In Hotel Rwanda, we are able to see the massacre first hand, but it is seen from a Hotel Manager. He attempted so greatly to save his fellow citizens from the wrath of this genocide. Here we also see that constant struggle of political power and control. Paul Rusesabagina who is the hotel manager is a Hutu, but is married to a Tutsis woman. This is one example of the reason for the genocide as well; the lack of control of the integrated marriages between the two people. Due to Paul’s marriage he had even a harder task of keeping safe and staying alive. The same things are seen in this film as many of the other genocide films we have studied. The people watching their fellow citizen die such horrific deaths and being subjected to such violent abuse. Paul does what any other man would do to keep his family out of harm’s way. Finds people in high authority and gives them things they want such as money to maintain his family safety. Paul does and is able to keep his family out of harm’s way.
Michel Serumundo, is one of the characters we meet in Murambi, the Book of Bones he is actually the first we meet. I thought that his story was interested, because he did not have any idea of what was happening. This shows just how quick the genocide began for these people. Michel is an owner of a video store in the village, he is at work one night and it’s a very quite night. He stayed late in the store just in case the last minute customer would arrive. When Michel began to leave and head to the bus to go home, he had an odd encounter. As he began his walk the sounds he heard were sirens, he took this as a fire must a have broke out did not think very much of it at all. The next event it was started his suspicious feelings solider in combat gear asked for his ID, when the solider saw he was a Tutsis he told him to move on. Once on the bus, Michel bus was stopped by soldiers and asked for Id’s as well. Michel suspicion grew even more so now. He was thinking to himself what is going on here, why is all this odd things occurring? As Michel arrived home his wife looked very serious as well, he then knew something bad was happening or going to take place soon. Like any other parent, he made sure all of his children were indoors and in his possession. His wife told him the radio advised all to stay home and not leave to go anywhere. By now Michel was aware this must be related to the death of the President that took place. He knew that major killing would then take place and massive bloodshed was coming their way. Having to live in complete fear as Michel and his family did, the fear of dying and the fear of the unknown is in conceivable. This would all be a result of showing that you cannot kill our President and not have consequences follow. All in all it was struggle of trying to regain power; everyone wants to have the upper hand and the control over others in these genocides. As a result, however many lives are lost that does not need to be, and the power control still in resolved.

Rogers: Murambi, Book of Bones and Hotel Rwanda

Having viewed Hotel Rwanda before, I thought that I was prepared for the carnage and bloodshed that I knew was in store for me. But Don Cheadle proved me wrong; I was weeping 15 minutes into the film. "Jesus, I'm so ashamed" states Joaquin Phoenix's photographer character, Jack Daglish. This is, overwhelmingly, the case throughout the entire film. Joaquin has hit the nail on the head and this view is echoed by abrasive Colonel Oliver (Nick Nolte) in his shockingly truthful speech about the negligence of the Western powers. In Charles Murigande's article, "Lessons Learned from the 1994 Rwandan Genocide" he gives us a little background information regarding just how much the UN and the West knew about what was going on in Rwanda. For example, in a report from 1993, a reporter named Adama Dieng, discovered that NGOs had discovered that the current regime of Rwanda was planning a large-scale genocide. Another warning that was ignored due to what Murigande calls "International Indifference" was a cable from General Romeo Dallaire in 1994, commander of the UN Assistance Mission in Rwanda conveyed news that the Interahamwe were drawing up plans that would allow themselves to kill one thousand Tutsi's every twenty minutes, three months before the genocide began.
To Paul Rusesabagina, The West embodies everything that he respects. Order, comfort, safety; everything that his government is unable to offer him, he respects Western powers for giving to its citizens. The West carries authority, the UN can do no wrong. In an intense conversation between Daglish and Paul, Daglish apologizes to Paul for taking footage of violence outside of the Mille Collines. Paul, embodying our debate from our last blog topic on reporters and their culpability, thanks Daglish for taking the footage and making sure that the outside world will see what is going on inside of Rwanda, so that help can be provided. Daglish tells him that he really does not believe that the world gives a damn about Rwanda and that the footage will only serve to temporarily discomfit them before they return to their dinners. Shaken, Paul begins to doubt his former hero worship of the West and it's so-called values. As all of the white hotel visitors are evacuated from the Mille Collines, you really see Paul's world crashing down around his ears.

One of the chapters from Murambi, Book of Bones that most struck me was the little girl Marina Nkusi's memory of "Tonton Antoine." This short chapter illustrates a a young girl who remembers when her father took up his machete in defense of his family. Her father's friend, Tonton Antoine, somebody who the little girl had formerly cavorted with gleefully, tries to convince Marina's father to join him in fighting at one of the barricades. The Hutu family was harboring several young Tutsi children and the father had heretofore managed to avoid joining in the killing which the Interahamwe expected of every good Hutu. Tonton Antoine manages to convince Marina's father to join the fighting, possibly by threats and certainly be some kind of coercion, as Marina remembers hearing shouting coming from the room where the two men are talking. Her father has serious moral conflict with killing people who have never done him any harm. But to protect his family from the wrath of the Interahamwe he takes up his machete. He tries to convince himself that war is fleeting, "Don't you watch television? It's like all wars, you kill people and then it's over!" Marina tells us that that the killing he engages in strikes him to the heart; every night when he comes home from wielding his machete, he visits the little Tutsi orphans and gives them treats. This chapter illustrates how nobody was left unaffected by the Tutsi Genocide. It is impossible to ignore and everybody, even innocent people like Marina and her family, becomes culpable.