African Culture Presence in Rwanda

African Culture in Rwanda

The historical context of the film “Hotel Rwanda” gives an overview of the genocide that happened in Rwanda in April 1994, where about 800,000 Rwandese citizens were slaughtered brutally. This happened in a span of one hundred day period where people were put to death with machetes. The massacre occurred without seeking intervention from the rest of the world.

Analyzing this film can allow one to explore or make reviews of their personal views about life. Reflecting on this film, especially the main character, will help us relate courage as part of communal interconnectedness. It will also give an image of African culture; therefore, the viewer can differentiate what the movie portrays from real life.

The film “Hotel Rwanda” is centered on a true-life story that focuses on Paul Rusesabagina’s actions, the protagonist in the film. By this time, he was the hotel manager of des Mille Collines located in Kigali. Paul’s change of attitude caused an impact on his actions because earlier on, he was only interested in saving his family, but with time, he began caring for other families (Dokotum & Okaka Opio).

The film depicts a true African hero because it celebrates Paul’s courage and leadership role, a breathtaking experience. Following the tension which had given rise to civil war in Rwanda among the communities of Tutsi and Hutu, Paul saved the lives of not less than one thousand two hundred people in his hotel. In addition, he gave shelter to thousands of people to protect them against the violent situations due to the genocide.

This obviously put him at risk, but with his practical leadership skills, he understood the circumstances and put forward his ideas with the help of influential people. The heroic nature portrays the African culture of a leader who, through leadership and management, a leader can make the right decisions at the right time.

Admittedly, I concur with how the film portrays the African culture concerning religion. We should have expected that religion in Rwanda, ninety percent Christianity, would get out of its way and save the situation. However, in the account of genocide that occurred in light of this information, to begin with, the genocide was a result of a blind eye.

In this case, the high percentages in Africa are Christians; they find a way to believe that if someone is against their religion, they will kill him (Dokotum & Okaka Opio). This is what happened to the encounter on the River Road to Paul and Gregoire, who saw a field of dead bodies due to religious conflicts. In Africa, it is also seen in many cases that corruption and genocide are primarily due to religion. Often, no religion can stop people from committing these crimes.

As seen in the film, the cause of genocide that caused mass killings had begun long ago following a systematic campaign by Hutu, the majority ethnic group. Its main aim was to wipe every minority group belonging to Tutsi; the genocide gained momentum with the death of Juvenal Habyarimana (Hotel Rwanda 83).

His aircraft was shot down by a missile whose origin is not known. Forces that were government-aligned used this incidence as an excuse to begin this campaign of slaughter which they had been planning for quite some time. Therefore, the genocide began on 7th April 1994 and went on for a hundred days.

The story of the genocide, as seen in the film, had begun with colonialism, where a split occurred between these two groups due to economic differences. Eventually, these divisions of classes became ethnic designations because when Belgium took over Rwanda, the Tutsi were ruling the monarchy. Post-independence, the resentment created by colonial division led to violence (Hotel Rwanda 83). This particular genocide then happened, and it was a directed attempt. Similarly, this has been seen in some African communities that initiate violence to eliminate a specific group of people for various reasons like greed for resources or influence. Like the genocide, there are a lot of other conflicts that cause deaths in Africa; this portrays the African culture.

The film differs from real life since it is not a historical record but rather a fictionalized depiction of a story that meets faces disputes from many of the eyewitnesses. Also, Paul Rusesabagina is a contested real-life figure and not a character in the film. Although the film depicts Paul as a hero due to his efforts in saving the lives of thousands of people, over the years, the hotel manager has been gripped by some controversy (Gudehus et al. 350).