After the events of the Holocaust and the Nuremburg War Crimes, the world united in its desire to never see such atrocities occur again. In 1948 the United Nations passed the Genocide Convention which promised to punish those who persecuted anyone because they belonged to an ‘undesirable’ national, ethnic, or religious group. The world’s cry was, “Never again!”

Sadly, however, the cry should have been, “Again and again” as numerous acts of genocide have continued to go unchecked. Since World War II acts of genocide have occurred in countries such as Iraq, Bosnia, the Sudan and Timor. One of the most shocking acts of genocide occurred in Rwanda. However, what made it shocking was not simply the number of people killed but the complete failure of the world to do anything about it.

Between April and June 1994, an estimated 800,000 Rwandans were killed in the space of 100 days. Most of the dead were Tutsis and most of those who perpetrated the violence were Hutus. The genocide was sparked by the death of the Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu. His plane was shot down above Kigali airport on 6 April 1994. Who was actually responsible for this is still a matter for debate. Within hours of the attack, riots broke out across the country which did not subside until three months later.

Ethnic tension in Rwanda is nothing new. There have been always been disagreements between the majority Hutus and minority Tutsis, but the animosity between them has grown substantially since the colonial period. The two ethnic groups are actually very similar –they speak the same language, inhabit the same areas and follow the same traditions. However, when the Belgian colonists arrived in 1916, they saw the two groups as distinct entities, and even produced identity cards classifying people according to their ethnicity.

All Identity Cards showed ethnic identity

The Belgians considered the Tutsis as superior to the Hutus. Not surprisingly, the Tutsis welcomed this idea, and for the next 20 years they enjoyed better jobs and educational opportunities than their neighbours. Resentment among the Hutus gradually built up, culminating in a series of riots in 1959. More than 20,000 Tutsis were killed, and many more fled to the neighbouring countries of Burundi, Tanzania and Uganda.

When Belgium relinquished power and granted Rwanda independence in 1962, the Hutus took their place. Over subsequent decades, the Tutsis were portrayed as the scapegoats for every crisis.

For many, the Rwandan Genocide stands out as historically significant not only because of the sheer number of people that were murdered in such a short period of time, but also because of the way many Western countries responded to the atrocities. Despite intelligence provided before the killing began, and international news media coverage reflecting the true scale of violence as the genocide unfolded, virtually all Developed or Western countries declined to intervene. The genocide was brought to an end only when the Tutsi-dominated expatriate rebel movement known as the Rwandese Patriotic Front, led by Paul Kagame, overthrew the Hutu government and seized power. In the aftermath of the genocide, sporadic reprisals were often taken against ethnic Hutus, causing hundreds of thousands to flee into eastern Zaire (now the Democratic Republic of the Congo). The violence and its memory continue to affect the country and the region.

Hotel Rwanda

Ten years ago, as the country of Rwanda descended into madness, one man made a promise to protect the family he loved and ended up finding the courage to save over 1200 people. Real-life hero Paul Rusesabagina (Don Cheadle), a hotel manager in Rwanda, used his courage and cunning to shelter over a thousand refugees from certain death.

While the rest of the world closed its eyes, Paul opened his heart and proved that one good man can make a difference.

Answer these questions about the film

1. What tribe did Paul belong to? (1)
2. To which tribe did his wife and her family belong? (1)
3. What were the differences between the Hutus and the Tutsis, according to the Belgians? (2)
4. Paul’s brother-in-law and his wife come to visit him at the hotel and tell him they need to flee Rwanda. Why did they think this? (1)
5. What was Paul’s advice to them? (1)
6. The Hutus often used the radio to incite violence against the Tutsis. What did they call the Tutsis and what was the message given that started the riots? (2)
7. How was Paul able to save his family and his neighbours at the beginning of the riots? (1)
8. The journalist in the hotel got footage of the massacre nearby and it was released to the West. Paul believed it would make the West help those in Rwanda. What did the journalist think would be the response from the West? (2)
9. When the Western troops came, what did they do? (1)
10. What did the French, British, Belgians and Americans do to help the Rwandans? (1)
11. Did the Western powers know that ‘acts of genocide’ were happening? (1)
12. How did you feel about what happened in the movie? Explain your answer and show why you responded in the way you did. (3)
13. What part of the movie impacted you the most? Why? (3)