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Rwandan genocide research paper
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In 1994, Rwanda experienced one of the greatest crisis’s the continent of Africa has ever seen. Upwards of 800 thousand people were killed in this genocide that tore this nation apart. Racial divisions between ethnic groups in Rwanda, the Hutu and the Tutsi caused mass killings by conflicting ideological groups. By the end of this era of mass murder, a great number of the population had been wiped out. In the years after this genocide, women came together to run the country and gain more rights, the country had to stabilize it’s government and unite to fight the many issues including mass refuge displacement, water scarcity, and poverty. People had to work together despite their racial prejudices and unite in the movement to repair Rwanda. …show more content…
Both the Hutu and the Tutsi are show fighting, and on both sides, politics, and racial ideals cause mass state killings. Paul’s hotel that is protected by various forces including the UN and the Hutu army becomes a refugee camp for thousands of displaced Hutus and Tutsis. Although the Mille Collines was for some time under UN protection, eventually they pull their services and protection out. Hutu Rebels that had gone rouge from the army later ransack the hotel as the genocide continues and more and more people are slaughtered. In one seen the UN general that is working in Rwanda has a conversation with Paul where he says that being an African is worse then being an African European or American because the west wont do anything for the people of this struggling nation. As one of the reporters says of the footage he takes of the genocide, people might stop for a minute and be horrified, but then they will sit down and resume their dinner. For these people there was no help, and therefore thousands of lives were ended at the hands of neighbors. From this film I have learned the importance of fair governments that must rule in a fair fashion, regardless of ethnic prejudices. In terms of international relations, intervention is also a necessary sentiment to end conflicts across the …show more content…
In this era, after so many men were murdered, women made up a greater proportion of the population. This population shift therefore called upon women in order to create a work force and rebuild the nation. A government that had been overthrown left the system and the nation in shambles, bringing women to the forefront of politics and government. Women took up new leadership positions that required them to learn skills beyond domestic duties. This new force of women also led to the expansion of their rights. Women could own property and could get married and had more of a say in marriages and relationships. Domestic abuse was a hot bed issue that became an important political discussion within this nation, and overtime women became more educated, and involved in their society. This film shows the importance of fair government where all types of people, men and women, Hutu and Tutsi must come together in order to rebuild their country, and overtime this nation has been knit back together. Although education, limited resources, and conflict are still issues at the forefront of political and government discussions, there has been great progress in this nation. In terms of international relations fairness and equal representation in government is an essential principle for any nation that wishes to be able to communicate with another. Africa as a continent has a very tight knit
To start with, the movie and the book show a plethora of differences conveying the perspective of the genocide. First, while ethnic bloodlines were mixed in the country, Immaculée was a Tutsi girl that was raised in her parents’ love, which originally blinded her from the negativity of racism and prejudice. This was proven when Immaculée stated “…In our home, racism and prejudice were completely unknown”. Paul Rusesbagina on the other hand was a hotel manager and a successful businessman, not to mention he was of Hutu origin. Also the movie focuses primarily on him and his family while conveying the genocide from the events that were most relevant to the storyline. This is proven in the movie as he was one of the first and reoccurring characters we see within the conflicts throughout the movie from when Paul stated “…I’m sure you can take some money for your hard work”, to the Hutu commander when he was first asked for identification and within several other instances throughout the movie. In short, because the purpose of the film was to entertain the audience, the two hour movie cannot convey with detail the slaughter of 800,000 to 1,000,000 Tut...
The ethnic division within the Rwandan culture played an integral role during the genocide. In 1918, Belgium is given the authority to govern the territory of Rwanda-Urundi under the Treaty of Versailles. Under Belgian rule, the traditional Hutu-Tutsi relationship was morphed into a class system favouring the Tutsis over the Hutus. The Belgians eventually created a system of ethnic identity cards differentiating Hutus from Tutsis. This would become a central driver of the Rwandan genocide. In the movie there are many instances where Rwandan citizens are asked to show their identity cards. In most cases, those who were not Hutu would be punished. Another example of the geopolitical struggle between these two ethnicities was illustrated through the media. Media is used as a platform to convey a message that influences the thoughts and actions of individuals around the world. Since Hutus are the majority in Rwanda, they were able to exert their influence over the Tutsis through mechanisms such as the media. Throughout the country, local Hutu power radio stations were aired calling for the extermination of Tutsis. The station would often find ways to dehumanize the Tutsis. In most cases they would refer to Tutsis as ‘cockroaches’. In order to create an accurate portrayal of the genocide, the film used the exact recordings from the Hutu power radio.
The Hutu and the Tutsi have been in conflict with each other for years but after what happened in 1994 I don’t think that anyone will ever forget. In that year Rwandas Presidents plan was shot down and he was killed. In the days following is when the genocide started, because the Hutu believed that it was the Tutsi that shot down the plan and killed the President because he was a Hutu. The United Nations let this go because of the killing of ten of their own and because of their rules of engagement that resulted from the ten Belgian members being killed while trying to protect the Prime Minister. During a short time period of only a few months about 800,000 Tutsi and Hutu moderates were killed by the militia, other groups and even neighbors.
The state-sponsored massacres of Hutus by the Tutsi-dominated Burundian army in 1972 was one of the most significant post-Holocaust genocides and as such received appropriate levels of international attention due to a lack of political distractions within western nations. The genocide broke out as a Hutu-lead rebellion in which Hutu insurgents massacred Tutsis and resisting Hutus in the lakeside towns of Rumonge and Nyanza-Lac. As many as 1200 people killed in this initial incident, the Tutsi-dominated government responded by declaring martial law and systematically proceeded to slaughter Hutus (Totten 325). After hundreds of thousands of Hutus had been massacred by the Burundian government, the neighboring nation of Zaire aided the Hutus in a counteroffensive attack on the Tutsi-controlled army. Having succeeded in their effort, the genocide was quickly brought to international attention within a few days. The United Nations invested $25,000 from the World Disaster Relief Account’s fund...
What would you say if I asked you to tell me what you think is causing the death of so many people in the horn of Africa? AIDS? Starvation? War? Would it surprise you if I told you that it all boils down to the women of Africa? Kofi Annan attempts to do just this in his essay “In Africa, Aids Has a Woman's Face.” Annan uses his work to tell us that women make up the “economic foundation of rural Africa” and the greatest way for Africa to thrive is through the women of Africa's freedom, power, and knowledge.
Africa has been an interesting location of conflicts. From the conflict between Ethiopia and Eritrea to the revolutionary conflict in Libya and Egypt, one of the greatest conflicts is the Rwandan Genocide. The Rwandan Genocide included two tribes in Rwanda: Tutsis and Hutus. Upon revenge, the Hutus massacred many Tutsis and other Hutus that supported the Tutsis. This gruesome war lasted for a 100 days. Up to this date, there have been many devastating effects on Rwanda and the global community. In addition, many people have not had many acknowledgements for the genocide but from this genocide many lessons have been learned around the world.
When the Rwandan Hutu majority betrayed the Tutsi minority, a destructive mass murdering broke out where neighbor turned on neighbor and teachers killed their students; this was the start of a genocide. In this paper I will tell you about the horrors the people of Rwanda had to face while genocide destroyed their homes, and I will also tell you about the mental trauma they still face today.
"Recovery after the Rwandan Genocide. Ideas and Events Which Are Shaping Rwanda's History and Its People." Recovery after the Rwandan Genocide. Ideas and Events Which Are Shaping Rwanda's History and Its People. N.p., Dec.-Jan. 2014. Web. 09 Apr. 2014
"Rwanda Genocide." Global Issues in Context Online Collection. Detroit: Gale, 2010. Global Issues In Context. Web. 12 Apr. 2010.
“Beginning on April 6, 1994, Hutus began slaughtering the Tutsis in the African country of Rwanda. As the brutal killings continued, the world stood idly by and just watched the slaughter. Lasting 100 days, the Rwanda genocide left approximately 800,000 Tutsis and Hutu sympathizers dead” (Rosenberg 1). When Rwanda’s President, Habyrimana, was killed in a plane crash, turmoil and massacres began. A series of events escalated violence until two ethic groups were engaged in bloody battle: The Hutus and the Tutsis. Throughout the Rwandan Genocide, the Tutsis were targeted because the death of President Habyrimana and problems in social and economic life was blamed in them, thus resulting in the 100-day genocide.
Humans have the power to be good and bad, unfortunately, this film displays the bad that nests within us. Hotel Rwanda demonstrates how corrupt the human race truly is and the lack of acceptance we have for eachother. Over the course of the movie, we see many instances that demonstrate the broken nature of humanity. An example was when Colonel. Oliver, a Canadian United Nations peacekeeper told Paul to look at the situation from a Western’s point of view. He told Paul that he and his people were dirt and stated "You're black. You're not even a nigger. You're an African.” The UN peacekeeper tried to have Paul look at the crisis from the eyes of another nation to justify why no one would help the Tutsis in their time of need. This shows an extreme lack of tolerance as well as the lack of empathy that we possess. Another example of how venal and unethical humans can be is when the reporter spoke of the catastrophe and claimed that there were genocide like acts taking place but that no one would intervene unless it was titled as a genocide. The fact that a horrible situation like that could happen and no one was willing to do anything to help because it wasn’t labeled as a genocide is
In 1994 in Rwanda, a million members of the Tutsi tribe were killed by members of the Hutu tribe in a massacre that took place while the world looked away. "Hotel Rwanda" is not the story of that massacre. It is the story of a hotel manager who saved the lives of 1,200 people by being, essentially, a very good hotel manager
Hotel Rwanda contained a very powerful, uplifting message on the Rwandan Genocide and how one brave risked his life for others in need. One thing to note about the entire movie is how we as people barely took time to even notice or look into this horrific event. Taking a deeper look into the film we can look at Paul Rusesabagina, the humble, main character of the story. At the start of the film, Paul is a very strong family man and would do anything for the safety and protection of his family. Progressing through the film we see how his attitude shifts dramatically as not only a family man but the safety and consideration of others.
Throughout history, there have been constant power struggles between men and women, placing the male population at a higher position than the female. Therefore, in this patriarchal system women have always been discriminated against simply due to the fact that they are women. Their rights to vote, to be educated and essentially being treated equally with men was taken away from them and they were viewed as weak members of society whose successes depend on men. However, this has not prevented them from fighting for what they believe in and the rights they are entitled to. On the contrary, it has motivated them to try even harder and gain these basic societal rights through determination and unity.
It is true of Africa that women constitute a treasure that remains largely hidden. (Moleketi 10) African women grow 90% of all African produce, and contribute about 70% of Africa’s agricultural labor every year. (Salmon 16) Both the labor and food that are provided by African women go towards the increase in Africa’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP). (Moleketi 10) Although African women are feeding the majority of Africa’s inhabitants, the constricting ropes of gender inequality are still holding them back from being appreciated and living up to their full potential. Outstandingly, women such as President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, of Liberia, have gladly accepted the challenge of breaking free of these ropes. The history of women’s rights in Africa, the glass ceiling, and the modern aspects of women’s rights, all play prominent roles in the overall condition of women’s rights in Africa. Until the day arrives that these discriminatory injustices are corrected, individuals in African nations will continue to struggle.