Rwanda Hotel
Transcript: Hotel Rwanda The Issue "Rwandan Genocide" The Hutus and the Tutsis have had a long tribal hatred since anyone can remember. Tutsi were typically more dominant and controlled wealth such as cattle. Hutu were without wealth and not tied to the powerful. People could move from being Hutu, to Tutsi, and the other way round, depending on their wealth and status. The wake of the genocide was when the president of Rwanda (who happened to be Hutu) was killed on a plane, April 6th, 1994, setting off the Hutus in an outrage killing innocent Tutsis people. The next 100 days following was a series of mass murders, rape, beatings, seperations of family's and torture. Approximately 800,000 were killed during the genocide. Juvenal Habyarimana Real Life Event? Hotel Rwanda was in fact a movie based on a true story. Every major actor played a role of a real Rwandan citizen. Paul Rusesabagina Nick Nolte (Romeo Dellaire) and Don Cheadle (Paul Rusesabagina) Paul Rusesabagina and Tatiana Rusesabagina Main Characters and Their Struggles Paul Rusesabagina: General manager of the luxurious Belgian-owned Hôtel des Milles Collines in Rwanda Used his international connections and well-crafted street smarts to care for and protect the 1,200 refugees Despite having no electricity or water for several weeks, he managed to cater to the needs of the refugees though it was not easy. Tatiana Rusesabagina: Wife of Paul Rusesabagina Managed to protect 4 children amidst the 100 days of genocide. Colonel Oliver (Based on Romeo Dellaire) In charge of Canadian UN troops Attempted to keep as many Tutsis safe as possible while ensuring the safety of his troops Balancing the relationship between a UN officer, and a friend of Pauls. Keeping as many people safe as he possibly could How the Issue Affects Canada Much money under Canada's name was spent after the genocide in 1994 to re-establish Rwanda’s social institutions and infrastructure. Canada has a dedicated day on April 7th to remember the numerous amounts of lives lost during the Rwandan Genocide as well as a Day of Reflection on the Prevention of Genocide. Convinced of the importance of freedom of the press as a foundation for democracy, Canada has contributed to activities supporting the capacity building of Rwandan journalists to help professionalize Rwanda’s media. During the genocide itself, innocent Canadian troops lives were lost at the cost of providing a better environment for the Rwandans. to happily live their lives in peace. Issue Resolved The Rwandan genocide was conclued in mid July 1994. The following factors contributed to the conclusion of the genocide: TRP (Tutsis Rebel Police) finally took power and pushed the Hutus to Congo. The RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) overtook the Hutu government in Kigali. The Security Council authorized UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda) to use force to protect civilians from further slaughtering of the Tutsi people. Today, current and previous Prime Ministers and Governor Generals pay a visit to Rwanda to commemorate the tragic genocide. Summary:Rwanda Hotel The massacre of hundreds of thousands of people during the Rwandan genocide of 1994 is documented through this film. Paul Rusesabagina is the hotel manager at the fancy Les Milles Collines hotel in Kigali. Soon enough, the violence escalates, and the Hutus begin their genocide of the Tutsis. His wife, Tatiana is a Tutsi as Paul is a Hutu. She urges Paul to use his influence to help local Tutsis, who are being harassed and beaten with increasing frequency. As time passes, keeping refugees at the hotel graually becomes more and more dangerous. Paul is seen as a traitor by some, putting his life in danger, and the predicament of his "guests" grows more precarious every day, but despite good intentions on the part of a journalist and a UN peacekeeping colonel the rest of the world is not eager to intervene and stop the massacre. The Real Conflict The Rwandan genocide itself was the real conflict. Massacring over half a million people was a tragic event for Africa. The fact that a genocide occured in the same country an individuals of the same race turned against eschother devestates individuals throughout the world. Many other countries along with navy and army forces could have intervened. To this day, the UN has been granted much praise for their efforts, but a large portion of people do not understand that this force backed out of the mission for an unsupported reason. The UN believed that Rwandan police forces were involved in mass killings during the genocide. Though this did not continue for a long period of time, the trust Rwandans had in the UN was lost and all loyalty that they had originally possessed was irrevocable. Questions Did Canada play a big role during the Rwandan Genocide? Did they have a huge impact on ending the genocide? Do you believe Canadian citizens were affected by the genocide? If so, how?