Hotel Rwanda (Click image to watch in Amazon)
A pretty radical opposition to the portrayal of events in Hotel Rwanda” published in 2005.
PART 1: Please begin by writing about your personal reaction to the film Hotel Rwanda. What did this cinematic experience leave you with? Why do you think this film was made to highlight this instance in this particular way? Do this before part 2.
PART 2: Please read the articles linked to this folder. You may want to skim the work of Alison Des Forges, “Leave None to Tell the Story” as well.
Do these articles change your feeling about the film? In what way?
PART 3: Alison Des Forges writes in “Leave None to Tell the Story,”
Accurate accounts of the genocide must establish in all their complexity the roles of the leaders, the followers, and the dissidents within Rwanda as well as the parts played by various international actors. This is essential both for assessing fairly the behavior of individuals and for creating strategies for the future. We must find ways to increase the numbers and effectiveness of resisters against such crimes, whether within or outside the society at risk. We must understand how local and international protest can resonate back and forth to create the swell of outrage that will prevent or halt future genocides.
This work is one of the many that must come to establish the historical record, to lay the groundwork for justice for Rwandans and accountability for all others who failed to respond to the bonds of our common humanity. The story must be told.
Do you think the “telling of the story” through Hotel Rwanda was ultimately beneficial or destructive to the Rwandan people? To the American Public? Why? What role should Hollywood film play in world history?
Submit your assignment via Blackboard.