The faith of Paul Rusesabagina and the Rwandan Genocide
Greg Powell


Picture source

The Incredible story of Paul Rusesabagina begins in the early 1900s before he was even born. While the Germans occupied Rwanda in the early nineteenth century they assigned classifications to the Rwandan people. Those who had lighter skin, thinner noses, or who were slightly taller were called Tutsi. The Tutsi made up the minority of the population, but the Germans, and later in 1929 the Belgians, sided with the Tutsi and ruled with them. In 1959 when the Hutu led a revolution and over threw the Belgian occupiers, they removed the Tutsi from power.

In 1994 Tensions rise as an on going civil war nears the apparent end. The Tutsi rbels sign a peace agreement with the curent president of Rwanda in supposed hopes of a lasting peace. Soon after the agreement was signed the Tutsi rebels shot the President's plane out of the sky, sparking a Hutu uprising against all Tutsi regardless of their military involvement. This Hutu rioting lasted for over one hundred days and led to the Genocide of over 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu across the country.

Here is where Paul Rusesabagina entered Rwandan history. During the Rwandan genocide of 1994, Mr. Rusesabagina was the general manager of the Hotel Milles Collines. When Paul Rusesabagina returned home from work on April 6, 1994 he found 26 of his neighbors huddled in his lightless house. When he asked his whife why all of the neighbors were in their house she said "Because you are the only Hutu that they trust.1"1 April 6, 1994 was the first day of the genocide which would last in Rwanda for over three months.

Paul took his 26 Tutsi neighbors to the Milles Collines, along with his whife Tatiana, and four children, Roger, Diane, Lys, and Tresor. Over the course of the next three months, Mr. Rusesabagina would protect a final total of 1268 refugees, inside a hotel that could serve 120 people at full capacity.2 All of the 113 guest rooms were filled as well as hallways and closets. throughout this entire ordeal Paul Rusesabagina faced the constant threat of the army and the Hutu rebels waiting every day outside his gate to kill all of the "Tutsi cockroaches."1 On many occasions Rusesabagina had to invite these military leaders into his office for drinks in order to find their "soft side"2 and bargan with them.

In July the Tutsi rebels drove the army and the Hutu rebels to the Congan border. When it was safe Paul drove to the south to visit his mother-in-law, who he described as loved by all of her neighbors"3 Upon reaaching the house he found his mother-in-law, her daughter-in-law and 6 of her grandchildren killed and their house destroyed. Paul also lost his brother-in-law and sister-in-law, Thomas and Fedens. Mr. Rusesabagina adopted their two girls, Anais and Carine. After the genocide Rusesabagina moved to Brussels, Belgium, where he now owns a trucking company. When asked if he will ever move back to Rwanda, He said, "I will return when my country has a lasting peace."3

In all of my sources I have heard little of the Religious convictions of Paul Rusesabagina. He is a 7th day Adventist, so he supports Christian principles, but I want to focus on his growth and display of faith not so much Faith although I am sure that Faith played a role in his decisions. Paul Rusesabagina wrote the foreward to a humanitarian book which I read called "Strenght and Compassion." In this foreward Rusesabagina says "an individual who posses the unyielding belief that common decency will always triumph, has a powerful weapon in his or her arsenal."2 Confronted with barbarian violence for over three months Rusesabagina held his faith in the "common decency."2 With overwhelming proof that the human race can be uncivilized and unrational Mr. Rusesabagina held one of his most powerful weapons close, hope.

In the same foreward Mr.Rusesabagina says, "People are sometimes fragile, often weak, capable of doing harm, yet also have an incredible potential to love one another and to be strong in struggle and strong in the face of evil."2 Here Rusesabagina admits that there is evil in the world and in everyone. However it is in these trying moments that each of us is given the opportunity to release the greatest of out weapons, love. Here in the face of evil and brutal violence we have a chance to show the stringth of the human spirit. Rusesabagina put his faith in these very principles and saved his life and the lives of 1268 people.

Mr. Rusesabagina says in the forward that "these are real people full of hope, strength, and dignity." Faith in these simple, eloquent, and necessary ideas drove Mr. Rusesabagina in his decisions to take on what would seem like a monstrous and dangerous task. It is the faith in these principles which we must strive for just as Mr. Rusesabagina did in the face of mortal opposition, as we face our own kinds of opposition in our own lives.

Paul Rusesabagina (left) and Don Chealde (right)

Picture source

http://www.thaifreenews.com/UserFiles/Image/05(2).jpg

Sources

1. The movie Hotel Rwanda starring Don Cheadle and directed by Terry George.
Official movie site of "Hotel Rwanda"

2. Strenght and Compassion by Eric Greitens, foreward by Paul Rusesabagina
3. http://www.netribution.co.uk/content/view/46/35/
Interview with Paul Rusesabagina



More information on the Movie "Hotel Rwanda" and Rwandan genocide
National Geographic story on "Hotel Rwanda"

If you have any questions please email me at binx79110@hotmail.com.