'Hotel Rwanda' hero stresses importance of raising awareness of world's injustices

LISLE, Il (Catholic Explorer) - Paul Rusesbagina, who protected over 1,200 people threatened by atrocities and etnic genocide in Rwanda 14 years ago, visited Benedictine University in Lisle earlier this month to raise awareness of the need to stand up against injustices.

"The only thing we were sure of is that we were going to die," said Paul Rusesabagina to a large audience April 9 at Benedictine University in Lisle. Rusesabagina was a manager of a luxury hotel in Rwanda in 1994 when Hutu militias began slaughtering Tutsis. His actions, which saved 1,268 people, were the storyline of "Hotel Rwanda," a 2004 film that was nominated for three Academy awards.

Rusesabagina was a Hutu, but his wife was a Tutsi and as a result, his children were considered Tutsi. He spoke of how a gun was held just inches from his head as militia ordered him to shoot his wife and children. Knowing that words are the best and the worst weapons in the world, Rusesabagina used words to barter with the guards.

"I told them, 'I understand you are hungry and thirsty and stressed by this war. But are you sure that the enemy you are fighting today is this old man? Is the enemy you are fighting today this baby?'" he asked the soldiers during two hours of negotiating.

"They told me 'You are lucky we are not killing you today, but we will kill every 'cockroach' [referring to Tutsis] that we see," Rusesabagina explained. "I knew they weren't joking since we could see bodies all over the road. That day I was scared, but I learned an important lesson, how to deal with evil."

Safe haven from genocide

As militia walked the streets looking for someone to kill, Rusesabagina took people into his hotel and protected them. He said his two main concerns were to get protection for the 400 people in the hotel and to find some type of security. He began calling all the high ranking generals he knew in the city to try to find assistance. He also spoke of how he called the United Nations, the Peace Corps and any other organization he could think of because he had nothing to lose.

However the hotel was attacked many times. Rusesabagina said he remembered an important childhood lesson; keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. Because of this, he invited the soldiers into the hotel.

One day Rusesabagina said the army and rebels were going to exchange some people in his hotel with people in national cities and his family was on the list to leave.

"The toughest decision of my life was made on May 3," he said. "People (in the hotel) came to me and said 'We know you are leaving tomorrow, but you are the only one who can sit down and convince these people not to kill us. Let us know if you are leaving because we are going to jump off the roof so they can't kill us.'"

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Knowing he could never leave the people in the hotel to be murdered, Rusesabagina made the decision to stay but had a difficult time trying to hide his decision from his children. When they climbed into a car to leave they asked him if he was coming with them.

"I told them, 'No. I am not coming. If I leave these people and they are killed I will never be a free man.' There is nothing as heartbreaking as looking at your loved ones and knowing you will never see them again."

Hope lost, then found

Militia men attacked the vehicle his family was riding in and his family was injured. He recalled all the hope they had completely disappeared. Over a month later, on June 17, he approached the mayor of the town and asked for soldiers but was told they were all fighting.

"On that day, I lost all hope," Rusesabagina told the audience. "I knew that they were killing people at the church only 500 meters from the hotel and that they would come next to the hotel."

Also on that day, a general came with his men, secured the hotel and enforced security. The next day Rusesabagina said he thanked God that none of the 1,268 people who were in the hotel had been removed, beaten or killed.

"We have to do something," he said. "There is no everlasting solution from guns. I believe in the power of words. We need to reconcile Africans and we don't need Marines, we need dialogue.

"That is where you can help," Rusesabagina explained to those gathered at Benedictine University. "We need you to help them to bring dialogue. We need to dialogue and you are the ones to do this.

'We believe in dialogue'

A panel of three Jim Ryan public service fellows with the Jim Ryan Center for Civic Leadership was seated in front of the stage. Jennifer Erickson, one of the fellows, asked Rusesabagina what Americans can do to help with problems like those in Rwanda besides ignoring what is going on?

"In 2004, no one knew about Darfur," he answered. "Don Cheadle (the actor who portrayed Rusesabagina in the film) and I started through the media the 'Save Darfur' " campaign.

He spoke of how on April 13, 2006, in Washington D.C., over 10,000 people gathered for "Save Darfur" awareness.

"The most important thing an individual can do is to raise awareness, sign a petition, spread the message and let our leaders know that we know what is going on," he said. "Once awareness has been raised enough, people will do something."

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He added, "We believe in dialogue. We believe in the power of words. We believe in diplomats rather than guns. Tomorrow is yours. You are tomorrow's leaders. If you want it to be a better world it will be a better world. If you want it to remain the same world, it will remain the same. Tomorrow is waiting for you."

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This story was made available to Catholic Online by permission of the Catholic Explorer(www.catholicexplorer.com), official newspaper of the Diocese of Joliet, Ill.