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The causes and effects of the Rwandan genocide between the hutu and the tutsi
Ethnic differences in the Rwanda conflict
Ethnic differences in the Rwanda conflict
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This inspiring story of Paul Rusesabagina and the thousands of people that he helped was made into an amazing movie in 2004. This heart breaking film begins with the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups in conflict because of the Belgium leaving Rwanda. When the Belgium left, they put the Tutsi in charge because they had lighter skin, and more defined features;this supposedly making them look more european.This in turn upset the Hutu and led them to overturn the government by murdering the president. After this event the Hutu took power by threatening and killing the Tutsi and anyone who helped them. Paul rushed home during the beginning of this event to find his wife and children in the back bedroom along with many of their Tutsi neighbors. Pauls wife Tatiana Rusesabagina is a Tutsi while he himself is a Hutu. Just as he starts to asses the situation, the Hutu military lead by General Bizimungu arrive. Paul then takes them back to the hotel that he used to work at to buy his family's freedom for the time well being. His wife having good friends in the rest of the group begs him to help the rest of them out as well. Paul takes them back to the current hotel owned by the Belgium where he works that is currently protected by UN forces lead by Colonel Oliver who continuously helps Paul.. As the story progresses Paul takes in more and more refugees into this hotel, including orphans, Hutu and Tutsi. The war outside them continues to get worse and they are looking for a way out of the country. Their first attempt to evacuate is ambushed by the Hutu military that catch on to the Tutsi hiding in the back of the UN trucks. Paul’s miraculous effort to keep the hotel safe by bribing high up leafers with money and alcohol is beginning to get even ... ... middle of paper ... ...ed and join his side. I do not think that either George or Bizimungu has good ethical decisions in consideration to others. From my standpoint it is hard to believe that people can kill thousands of innocent people and still sleep at night. I believe that what happened is wrong and disturbing, however, the story of Paul Rusesabagina and the refugees is an example of hope. This story shows that in the middle of the end for some, there can be one person that is willing to stand up, take charge, and lead. Paul’s courage throughout this entire story is something that we don't see a lot in this world anymore. His good heart and fearless leadership shows that even in the hardest of times, anything is possible. It shows that there is good and hope in every situation. This is why it is important to never give up, and always try to make the best of every situation.
In the midst of that catastrophe, many people took their own lives so they wouldn’t have to face conflict afterwards. This shows why many people think a conflict will never have a positive outcome.
Tutsi – A group of people in Rwanda that initially started as the cattle raising people of the old tribes. The Tutsi ruled over the Hutu for the majority of the time, until 1962 where the Hutu revolted. Then in 1994 the president of Rwanda’s plane was shot down, which sparked a massive violent out brake of Hutus killing Tutsis. In the film “Hotel Rwanda”, the Tutsi were the refugees in the hotel, trying to hide from the murdering Hutus.
This was an example of genocide that we can learn from and know what genocide is so we can stop genocide from occurring in the future because we are the next generation of the world..
During the genocide, the Hutu Power Movement would use machetes imported from China as a primary weapon to slaughter Tutsis. In the film, a leader of a Hutu militia group that helped lead the genocide, businessman George Rutaganda, purchases machetes from China for a cost of only ten cents each. He says, “A bargain buy, from China. Ten cents each, I 'll get a dollar.” This proves the genocide was driven by economic interests by many nations including China. China was supplying weapons to a Rwandan group, well aware that the country was unstable. The geopolitical struggle between these two peoples was also represented through the economic interests of many countries. On May 25th 1994, weeks into the genocide, President Bill Clinton reiterates his policy that humanitarian action will only be taken if it serves America’s national interests. This was a stunning admission by Clinton, who knew that Rwanda was not an economically diverse country. In the film, Colonel Oliver, who was a clear depiction of Romeo Dallaire, demanded more troops be sent to Rwanda. Instead, he received news that the United States and Belgium were to pull out of the mission. This was a pivotal moment in the film as it further stalled the progress that could have been
After reading this book all I can think about and imagine is the horror and pain that the Tutsi must have gone through and their families and friends who have survived to think about and re-live the memories they have of such a horrible event. In the book, Gourevitch really paints a picture by the way he describes what things looked like and the way things were during that time period. Since watching the movie from last semester Hotel Rwanda and reading this book it reminds me of the movie Tears of the Sun when the rebels are in the small communities murdering everyone in sight and Hitlers reign in which mass genocide that he and his army committed.
The film Hotel Rwanda starts off with a radio broadcast. The man on the radio is speaking against the Tutsi’s; presumably this mystery man on the radio is Georges Rutaganda, who is a Hutu militia Interahamwe. Our protagonist, Paul Rusesabagin, runs a hotel and is also a Hutu himself. He is a friendly man who gets along with everyone and does not agree with most of the other Hutu’s. His wife is a Tutsi which forces him to deal with a lot more harassment from the other Hutu’s. With Paul’s determination, he helped spark the counter revolution seen at the end of the movie.
We are all human beings and deserve to be treated fairly and with kindness unless we have displayed a reason to do otherwise. We as a nation cannot live in fear because a group of horrible individuals completed a devastating act. These acts may have shaken us as a nation but it should not break us completely and cause us to treat innocent people unfairly and without respect.
The definition of genocide as given in the Webster's College Dictionary is "The deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group." This definition depicts the situation in 1994 of Rwanda, a small, poor, central African country. The Rwandan genocide was the systematic extermination of over eight hundred thousand Tutsi, an ethnic group in Rwanda, by the Hutu, another ethnic group in Rwanda. In this essay I will briefly describe the history of the conflict of the Hutu and Tutsi, the 100 days of genocide in 1994, and the affects of the massacre on the economy and the people of Rwanda.
The Rwandan Genocide was a terrible event in history caused by a constantly weakening relationship between two groups of people. The country of Rwanda is located in Africa and consists of multiple groups of people. Majority of Rwanda is Hutu, while a smaller amount of people are Tutsis. The genocide started due to multiple events that really stretched the relationship between the two groups to its end. One of the starting factors was at the end of World War 1. Rwanda was a German colony but then was given to Belgium “who favored the minority Tutsis over the Hutus, exacerbated[exacerbating] the tendency of the few to oppress the many”(History.com). This created a feeling of anger towards the Tutsis, because they had much more power then Hutus.
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.
Watching the film, Hotel Rwanda, can make one wonder how cruel the humanity can be. The film is suitable as a focal point for discussing evil because the genocide that the film is based has been widely condemned as a result of its wicked aspects. The main protagonist, Paul Rusesabagina, has been viciously awakened by the level of evil that has possessed his ethnic community. During the entire genocide, he is the only Hutu who has sympathy toward the Tutsis. With the desire to do what is morally right in the society, Paul risks his life to hide close to 1000 Tutsis in his hotel. He has to bribe the local Hutu militia leaders to protect the Tutsis, including his wife and family. Although the society regards bribery as unethical, one can consider it as a lifesaver in the film. This is because giving bribes in form of cigars is the only way Paul can save hundreds of lives. The Hutu militia leaders are so inhuman that they value cigars more than the life of a human being. These events depict the rotten nature of the society, as even human life has to be saved through corruption.
Paul Rusesabagina, portrayed by Don Cheadle is placed in a difficult situation when the Rwandan Armed Forces come into Kigali and start killing thousands of Hutus targeting his neighbors, friends, and family. In response he houses thousands of Tutsis in his hotel until him and his family flee Rwanda. Hotel Rwanda was made in order to inform viewers on the extent of the Interhamwe and Rwandan Armed Forces on the torture of the Tutsis. For example, in the movie scenes of blood and violence involving children and babies were very common. These scenes emphasize the extent of the torture that the Rwandan Armed forces and Interhamwe were willing to go to with torture. Also scenes of Hutu torturing women are also shown in the movie. These scenes reveal the different forms of torture that were common during the genocide compared to just showing the killings and
Massacre, annihilation, extermination, these are just some synonyms for the word Genocide. Genocide-the deliberate killing of a large group of people, especially those of a particular ethnic group or nation. When one thinks of mass murder, they think of the Holocaust. A genocide that many people may not know of is the Rwandan genocide, also known as the Genocide against the Tutsi. It was a mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda by members of the Hutu Majority government in East Central Africa. They murdered from 500,000 to 1,000,000 people. This genocide took place during the Rwandan Civil War. Hutu nationalists were the first to start this genocide. This genocide spread through the country like an epidemic; fast and deadly.
Realism is one of the oldest and most popular theories in International Relations. It offers a perspective about competition and power, and can be used to explain the actions between states. An example of realism is the U.S. reaction – or lack thereof – during the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
...from researching and writing about the events I felt I was transported to this time and place and I can really feel for the people of this country. Even when we read history books we are able to just take in the event as a historical time. It is easy to just read out numbers of slaughtered and oppressed like statistics but looking closer we must see that in the thousands who suffered and died there were brothers and sisters, moms and dads and little children. This unnecessary suffering was for greed and lust for power. This is a sad story that keeps repeating itself time and time again.