The Story
Hotel Rwanda Speech
Perhaps it is true that heroes cannot be born without strife and sufferings, but times of need and desperation, of grief and fear, are a part of the fabric of human life. It is a great thing when an ordinary person takes charge, going up against trials far more difficult than any that the average College student has experienced. Paul Rusesabagina, the man behind the story of Hotel Rwanda, did not shrink from the face of danger and pain, but rather showed how noble a man can really be when going up against extraordinary situations.
Upon taking the stage, Rusesabagina was given a standing ovation by the students in the audience. He saved over 1200 people in Rwanda during the genocide of 1994, and was regarded by those present as a remarkable man.
“It was an amazing experience to get to see a man like Mr. Rusesabagina, and even more amazing to be able to have the opportunity to speak to him and ask questions of him,” said College freshman Ryan Lintelman.
In 1994, Rusesabagina lived in the Mille Collines Hotel, sheltering refugees who were trying to escape from the terror of genocide. Through many hardships, including lack of food and scarcity of water, physical threats, and fearing for the safety of his family, Rusesabagina held out in the Mille Collines Hotel.
Rusesabagina himself never used a gun, instead preferring to negotiate with those who would have killed his friends, and by extension him for protecting them.
“Even the hardest heart has a soft part,” said Rusesabagina when asked how he managed to negotiate with men who ruthlessly murdered almost one million people in the tiny nation of Rwanda. But, he added, a Rwandan proverb says that two men never sit down to talk without a drink"and that doesn’t mean water.
When asked how accurately the film Hotel Rwanda portrayed his experiences in 1994, Rusesabagina responded that he felt it was very well done, though some of the most horrific scenes were diluted. This was done so that an audience could watch the movie and receive the message that help was needed.
“The world turned its back on Rwanda. They knew what was going on but did nothing to help us,” explained Rusesabagina. His hope is that the Western world will not abandon those in need again. What he wants from us is not GI’s, fighting, and a new governmental structure, but rather a promise that we will not turn our back on those who need our aid.
“No one should ever be in a refugee camp...they are denied the most basic necessity, education,” said Rusesabagina. To help the victims of the genocide in Rwanda, especially the orphans and abused women, Rusesabagina has begun the HRRF or Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation. The Foundation also supports victims in other African nations, if funds come through.
There is also a new program on campus that students should be aware of called STAN, or Students Taking Action Now, which, thus far, aims to give students the opportunity to try to let the government know what action we wish to see being taken to help refugees.