For tens of years, the country of
Rwanda was split between the Tutsi and Hutu races. While the Tutsis were more of a minority,
they overpowered the Hutus politically (United Human Rights Council 2013). Hutus resented the prior Tutsi rule, and a
war broke out in 1994. That summer, a
mass genocide occurred, killing off about two thirds of the Tutsi population
(United Human Rights Council 2013). This
was equivalent to over 800 thousand people.
Families were killed in their homes, and women were raped and often kept
as sex slaves for weeks at a time (Rosenberg 2013).
The film “Hotel Rwanda” highlights this mass
genocide, focusing on a true story about a Hutu hotel owner, Paul Rusesabagina,
who is also intermarried to a Tutsi. Paul
opts to house many refugees, along with his family, in his hotel. The movie follows their struggles with hiding
the Tutsis and attempting to bring them to a safer place. Hotel Rwanda came out in 2004 with stellar
reviews, and had many award wins and nominations (IMDB 2013). This film is very appropriate as it covers
various cultural aspects: Paul’s interracial marriage, the way he must
communication amongst the Tutsis versus the Hutus, and the country’s ethnic
argument in general and the interactions amongst both groups.
The concept that will be discussed
is domestic refugees. The Tutsis in
“Hotel Rwanda” seek shelter in
Rwanda, for fear of attempting to leave the country and be caught. Domestic refugees are people who
“involuntarily migrate within their own country” (Martin and Nakayama 2013). This clearly relates to intercultural
communication as the Tutsis are seeking shelter from another type of culture,
the Hutus, while both remain within the same vicinity.
At the beginning of the Rwandan
genocide, Paul witnesses many of his neighbors being attacked or killed because
they are Tutsis. Watching this happen to
the neighbors, Paul explains to his wife, “There is nothing we can do.” Intervention will lead to conflict within his
own family.
But after awhile, he negotiates
some of his neighbors’ safety with his money from the hotel. At his hotel, the Hotel des Mille Collines, Paul
keeps his refugee neighbors. They are no
longer safe in their homes, yet an attempt to escape the country might lead to
another run-in with the Hutus.
Therefore, they feel that they are safest at the hotel where they plan
to wait out the war. Here, Paul’s
neighbors are displaced from their homes, yet still are remaining within
Rwanda.
More refugees come to Paul’s hotel,
particularly because the other refugee camps, like the United Nations or the
Red Cross, is filled. Eventually, Paul
attracts attention from the enemy Hutus.
With the United Nations’ help, he attempts to transport the refugees to
a safe area, behind the rebel Tutsi army lines.
This area is considered a safe place, yet still remains in the country,
which keeps the refugee Tutsis still in a domestic place. However, Hutus catch on to the escape plan,
and many refugees are sent back to the Hotel de Mille Collines.
While most of Paul’s refugees
escape the borders of the hotel and end up in the safe area, away from the war
zone, the majority of the movie has the Tutsis holed up as domestic refugees;
hiding from the Hutus, yet stuck and unable to get to safer grounds.
“Hotel Rwanda” focuses on this
entrapment, showing such struggles as running low on food and water, and
attempting to divert the enemy Hutus from discovering the refugees living in
the hotel. This entire movie, while it
also depicts other various aspects of intercultural transitions, emphasizes the
toils of being a domestic refugee. Paul
Rusesabagina says it best when he states, “We can only save ourselves.”
IMDb. (1990-2013). Hotel Rwanda (2004). Amazon. Retrieved from http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0395169/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu
Martin, J.N. & Nakayama, T.K. (2013).
Intercultural Communication in
Contexts (6th ed.) New
York, N.Y. : McGraw Hill.
Rosenberg, J. (2013).
Rwanda Genocide. About. Retrieved from http://history1900s.about.com/od/rwandangenocide/a/Rwanda-Genocide.htm
United Rights Human Council.
(2013). Genocide in Rwanda. Armenian
Youth Federation- Western United States.
Retrieved from http://www.unitedhumanrights.org/genocide/genocide_in_rwanda.htm
I really like the way you blended the concept you chose with the description of the movie. It made the whole post flow very well and it ended up closing very strongly. I've never actually seen this movie, but I've heard it is a very intense one, so kudos for being able to watch it so closely to make these connections.
ReplyDeleteThis was a perfect example of how intercultural communication is important in a domestic refugee situation. The idea flowed and tied in well with the movie "Hotel Rwanda". I especially like that you put an emphasis on explaining that Paul was a Hutu and his wife a Tutsi. This provided a good basis for the rest of the blog. Great work.
ReplyDeleteThis movie was a great example of domestic refugee's, it gave me a really good understanding of what can go on within a country. Although they aren't migrating to another country their experience can be just as intense if not more intense. You did a great job over viewing the movie and catching the readers attention.
ReplyDelete"Hotel Rwanda" is a movie that clearly depicts some of the most horrible and tragic events that cause people to become refugees. The movie demonstrates clearly the suffering these refugees went through as they tried to escape to safer regions in Rwanda order to escape the genocide being committed within their country. I also liked how you pointed out the difference between the two tribes (Hutu and Tutsi), and how this was a politically motivated genocide against the Tutsi tribe.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog! Excellent connection between course concepts and the film.
ReplyDelete