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This is not a review about the cinema Hotel Rwanda, it is about Paul Rusesabagina (Oskar Schindler of Rwanda) and also about how a cinema can influence and bring changes.

The world needed a Schindler’s List from Steven Speilberg to know about the german industrialist Oskar Schindler and the way he saved as many as 1,200 Jews from the Holocaust. Similarly, Hotel Rwanda is about one hotel assistant manager Paul Rusesabagina, who later became a hero by sheltering approximately 1200 Tutsis and moderate Hutus from being slaughtered by the Interahamwe militia.

We cannot resist our feeling to compare both the movies and legends. Schindler’s List caught the attention of the world immediately, because it was from the acclaimed director Steven Speilberg. Who is commercially popular and has fan following in all over the world. Hotel Rwanda is equally good to Schindler’s List but has not got the equal amount of popularity. Now, between Schindler and Rusesbagina it is not a good gesture to compare those two deeds, as an ordinary person would not have done those great things. They risked their lives greatly to save 1200s. Oskar had the wealth and power but Paul had very limited power and money as a temporary manager. Though Oskar had all the wealth and enjoyed the trust of many Jewish and SS’s command, but he dared and put his life at stake to save the many he could.I am not going to compare in detail. I have taken Schindler to tell you that, what Paul Rusesabagina has done is not any way lesser and also bring to your attention what he has done.

Now let me focus on Hotel Rwanda and Paul Rusesabagina.

Rusesabagina receiving 2000 Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity from former U.S. Senator Robert Dole

“There are stories to be told that must not be forgotten. We can never give up on the lessons learned from Rwanda.” - Paul Rusesabagina.

After the genocide, the teethless, spineless UN came into picture. In 1998, U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan recognized the failure on the part of the international community and issued an apology:”… The world must deeply repent this failure. Rwanda’s tragedy was the world’s tragedy. All of us who cared about Rwanda, all of us who witnessed its suffering, fervently wish that we could have prevented the genocide. Looking back now, we see the signs which then were not recognized. Now we know that what we did was not nearly enough–not enough to save Rwanda from itself, not enough to honor the ideals for which the United Nations exists. We will not deny that, in their greatest hour of need, the world failed the people of Rwanda …”

Do you know?
* The average life expectancy in Rwanda is under 40 years
* Rwanda has the highest number of orphans in the world

Paul Rusesabagina was honoured by the President George W. Bush and awarded him the nation’s highest civilian award, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The international community didn’t help Rwanda at the time of ruthless murders. Also, didn’t help to rebuild the nation and the poor people. Why all these sudden hype now? ‘Hotel Rwanda’ the cinema has turned the peoples attention.I would summarize that:

• A well made movie can bring change in society.
• We need a boundaryless one world to livein.
• We need a UN, which can act proactively.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 25th, 2006 at 10:08 pm and is filed under Social, Movie. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.