“You do not believe you can kill them all?” “Why not? We are halfway there already.”

The conflict between the Tutsi and the Hutu people of Rwanda began in April 1994 with the civil war. This war was sparked by the separation of tribes which the Belgians solidified in 1933. It was mandatory that every citizen be issued an identity card which labeled them as Tutsi, Hutu, or Twa, although the Twa were irrelevant to the war. The Rwandan genocide was later referred to as the ‘100 Days of Slaughter’ during which over 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu civilians were killed. The power shifts between the Tutsi and Hutu people caused animosity between the tribes, animosity that continued for decades.

The movie Hotel Rwanda highlights the conflicts that occurred while the Hutu people were in control and the Tutsi’s were considered minorities. The main theme of the movie isn’t actually the genocide itself, but rather the effects it had on a hotel manager and his family as he tried to help many innocent civilians in danger. Said hotel manager was named Paul Rusesabagina. Paul himself was a Hutu who wed a Tutsi woman and vowed his life to protect her and their family.

Hotel Rwanda featured some very graphic moments. One in particular was the scene in which Paul and his right hand man were driving to the hotel after picking up food and supplies for their ‘guests’. They were told which way to go to return, but found the route very bumpy. Paul got out of the van and discovered that they were driving over hundreds of dead bodies. He covered his nose in disgust and began gagging, as anyone would at the sight of such a tragedy. The image has not left my head since then. Sometimes one might not realize how disturbing something is until they really see it.
Another critical moment during Hotel Rwanda was when Paul’s family was being moved to a safer location. They were selected out of all the hotel GUESTS to be transported by the UN to a different country. Paul loaded his wife and kids on board but at the final moment realized his hotel needed him and jumped off the truck. His wife Tatiana cried in agony, but there was nothing to be done by that point. As soon as they departed, you could sense the regret in Paul’s face, but his people did need his help. In the end, the transportation mission was unsuccessful and the refugees returned back to the hotel. Tatiana was angry at Paul for abandoning her but soon came around once she felt safe near him.

This movie was an excellent depiction of the events of the Rwandan genocide; the actors played their roles very well and showed the true aggression of the Hutu people. Although Paul Rusesabagina is a real life war hero, and his hotel in Kigali is also a real landmark, the movie is still dramatized to a certain extent. It is based off three years of research and is very detailed in sense of character personalities, African rituals, and the basic way of life. The movie also highlights the lack of help from the international community as well as local enforcement. Paul had to bribe many political leaders in order to receive protection from them. The international community on the other hand was very lax in how they chose to intervene. In the beginning of the genocide, the UN deemed the massacre as ‘Ethnic Cleansing’ and therefore was not obliged to intervene. Later on, Belgian troops were sent in to help protect the Rwandan citizens, but as soon as 10 Belgian soldiers were murdered, troops were pulled within 24 hours. One might believe this is due to the ideology of white supremacy. Rwanda is not beneficial to the UN as its only export is coffee which is a very common trading item. Therefore, there was no point in intervening to protect a country that does not border any important locations and has no value. This is a very bothersome theory.

If it weren’t for the persistence of Canadian Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire, the death toll would probably have been much higher than 800,000. Although that number in itself is quite gruesome, the idea that it could have been lower is a demonstration of how useless Western powers can be when it comes to defending countries that are not their neighbors. Dallaire was the commander of the UN Assistance Mission for Rwanda during the genocide. He stayed the entire duration of the massacre and continues to raise awareness about the events.

The Rwandan Genocide was a terrible historical event that took the lives of many innocent Rwandan citizens. The movie Hotel Rwanda tells a story of survival, love, and heroism in a recollection of the 100 days of slaughter. Paul Rusesabagina was a selfless individual who saved the lives of over 1000 of his fellow citizens who were being attacked by Hutu people. Considering that his wife was indeed a Tutsi, he owed some form of allegiance to protecting their entire tribe, regardless of who assigned their tribal identities.