Paul Rusesabagina, the real-life hero of "Hotel Rwanda," recounted the horror of the 1994 Rwandan genocide and condemned the failure of Western governments to intervene in contemporary atrocities in a visit to campus Thursday.
His lecture, titled "Hotel Rwanda: A Lesson Yet to Be Learned," lasted approximately an hour and was followed by a question-and-answer session in McCosh 50.
Rusesabagina was introduced by Jeremy Golubcow-Teglasi '06, founder of Brother's Keeper, the student human-rights organization that organized the event, and a member of the 'Prince' editorial board.
As he approached the lectern, Rusesabagina was greeted with a standing ovation. He said he was "delighted to be with you to tell you the real story behind 'Hotel Rwanda'"— a story, he said, which was accurately portrayed in the film for which he served as a consultant.
Rusesabagina then provided a summary of the modern history of Rwanda, tracing the roots of ethnic conflict between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority to colonial intervention, first by the Germans, and then the Belgians who took control after Germany's defeat in World War I.
In 1959, Rusesabagina said, the fight for liberation from colonial domination began. According to Rusesabagina, however, it was not a battle for "national independence" but rather for "Hutu control." The war was accompanied by the first of several outbreaks of persecution against the Tutsis that would define Rwanda's history for the next several decades.
Finally, with a peace treaty signed in 1993 between the Hutu president Habyarimana and the Tutsi leadership, there was a clear "sign of hope."
But on April 6, 1994, Habyarimana was assassinated along with the president of Burundi. Immediately, the Hutus blamed the disaster on the Tutsis and a wave of brutal violence emerged. Within 100 days, 800,000 Tutsis were dead.
The severity of the situation hit Rusesabagina when his 14-year old son went to visit a friend — only to find the friend, his family and his neighbors slaughtered on their own front lawns.
Within the next few days, terrified neighbors fled to Rusesabagina's home, prompting soldiers to storm in and demand that he surrender his guests. After two hours of negotiation, Rusesabagina brokered an agreement with the militiamen and received permission to bring his family and neighbors to the hotel where he was a manager.
Meanwhile, the hotel's Belgian management fled Rwanda, along with virtually every Westerner in the country, including most of the UN peacekeepers stationed there.
Rusesabagina "started calling, seeking help" from media figures and political leaders across the globe. He even sent an urgent fax to the White House.
Yet there was no response.
Once the genocidal frenzy had passed, it became clear that Rusesabagina's extraordinary courage had saved the lives of more than 1,200 Rwandans he harbored in his hotel.
Today, Rusesagabina says that justice in Rwanda is yet to be served. While reconciliation is making progress, "the most urgent thing is . . . justice."
"The whole world owes us a lot," Rusesabagina said, as he accused the global community of doing little to help rebuild Rwanda.
Rusesabagina urged the audience to prevent the horrors of Rwanda from being repeated elsewhere — to insist on intervening to stop genocide wherever it arises. He spoke specifically of Burundi, of the Congo, and of Darfur.
Africans can fix the situation, Rusesabagina said, but "we [must] help them to help themselves."
"The world needs you, the world needs me," he added. "If you want, you can always make a difference."
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