Hotel Rwanda Movie Notes and Assignment
Genocide in Rwanda
 Definition of Genocide: the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political, or
cultural group
 Hutu vs. Tutsi (the two main ethnic groups in Rwanda)
Historical context: When Belgium ruled Rwanda under colonialism, they encouraged ethnic
division between the two groups known as the Hutu and Tutsi. Belgium favored the Tutsi and
allowed them to become the upper class, while the Hutu remained peasants. When Belgium
demoted the Hutu to a lower position, this planted the seed for what later became the violent
overthrow of the Tutsi. The hate war exploded when, on April 6, 1994, the president of
Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, was shot down in his airplane. Rumors spread that
Tutsis ordered the assassination. This triggered Hutu violence against the Tutsis. By the end of
just three months, over 800,000 Tutsi were massacred.
 International response: The Rwandan genocide was widely ignored by the international
community. The United Nations deployed troops, but after ten casualties, they rapidly
withdrew from the conflict. The United States, Belgium, France, and the United Nations all had
knowledge, prior to the genocide, of the events about to unfold; however, those nations took no
action. Alison Des Forges, a scholar on Rwanda, has written: “The Americans were interested in
saving money, the Belgians were interested in saving face, and the French were interested in
saving their ally, the genocidal government.”
Hotel Rwanda Movie Notes
 The true-life story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who housed over a thousand Tutsi
refugees during their struggle against the Hutu militia in Rwanda.
 Paul is Hutu and his wife is Tutsi.
 In the beginning of the movie, the family doesn’t speak up when people are taken because of
fear. Paul says that he will only speak up for his family.
 Notice the physical characteristics of the Hutu and Tutsi. Do the Hutu and Tutsi look different
to you?
 War creates a situation ripe for genocide to take place. (This is the case with many genocides.
Think of World War II and the Holocaust.)
 In Rwanda, the radio was used to gain support of the Hutu.
 The United Nations would not take the Rwandan orphans.
 Movie Quote: “How can they not intervene when they’ve witnessed such atrocities?” Journalist
response: “I think if people see this footage they’ll say, ‘Oh my gosh, that’s horrible…’ and then
go on eating their dinners.”
 The United Nations general tells Paul that Western countries aren’t going to stop the slaughter.
 The United States and England lobby for the removal of all UN peacekeepers from Rwanda.
 Troops are only there to help the white people, not the black Africans, not even the orphans.
Homework: Write ¾ page response to this movie.
Options to write about for response: Summarize what took place in the movie. What did it
make you think about? How did it make you feel? What did you learn? Why did this genocide
happen? Do you think that genocide can be prevented? Do you think foreign countries should have
gotten involved in Rwanda? How did one person, Paul, make a difference in this situation?