Paul Rusesabagina at Town Hall

Paul Rusesabagina

Last night I had the privilege of seeing Paul Rusesabagina speak at Town Hall here in Seattle. Any evening is well spent when you find yourself at a loss for words in the hours afterwards. Only with time do you find yourself making sense of all that was said and felt. For those who are not familiar with the name, Paul Rusesabagina managed to save numerous lives during the Rwandan genocide in the early nineties by harboring them in a hotel and constantly bargaining for their safety. His acts and the genocide itself have gained some renewed attention thanks to the film Hotel Rwanda.

He also said that he was deeply involved in the creation of the film and it was largely accurate, but it did omit a few things he discussed last night. At one point he and his wife went looking for his mother convinced that no one would kill such a kind woman. She was eventually found in a mass grave. When his wife was injured it was much more severe than portrayed in the film. She returned from the convoy soaked in her own blood. She had broken her back and was confined to a bed thereafter for a very long time. You also got a better sense of how long the tragedy and terror went on. The movie can leave you feeling like it took place only over a few days but in truth they survived months of horror. Paul shared that he did not believe what he did was out of bravery, but simply because he was absolutely convinced he was going to die and wanted to do the right thing before meeting his end.

The lessons of Hotel Rwanda go far beyond the nation of Rwanda and Paul tried to call attention to that. Paul visited Darfur one month before and declared that the horror there is no different and still the world does nothing. He point out that millions have died in the conflict in the Congo, that the Ivory Coast is a nightmare, that sub-Saharan Africa is in flames, and yet nothing is done. Twenty years ago, the world said to no to South Africa’s apartheid and it changed South Africa forever. He asked why we do not say no to these other African nations, why we do not have an embargo against these oil-producing nations that seek to slaughter and enslave ethnic groups. The idea of an embargo, of a plea for change on a world stage, is an easy thought for those of us who understand what is happening, but it is ignored by those who profit from misery. The difficult question is not “what can be done?” but “how do you get those with greater power to act?” Until then, those of us with less power do what we can for those with no power at all.

Paul Rusesabagina is currently touring the United States and is certainly worth the time.

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