Analysis Of An Ordinary Man And Hotel Rwanda

The physical and mental intent to destroy another being often unveils the darkest side of human nature. In the memoir, “An Ordinary Man: An Autobiography” dedicated to the Rwandan genocide, war hero Paul Rusesabagina states: “A sad truth of human nature is that it is hard to care for people when they are abstractions, hard to care when it is not you or somebody close to you. Unless the world community can stop finding ways to dither in the face of this monstrous threat to humanity those words never again will persist in being one of the most abused phrases in the English language and one of the greatest lies of our time.” The United Nations promised never again would they allow genocide to occur after the Second World War. Unfortunately, less

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.

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