Hotel Rwanda: An Introduction

History Rwanda started as a Belgian colony. The Belgians believed the Tutsi were superior to the Hutu because they had more “European features”. (Racism created by outside forces!!) They used the Tutsi minority to enforce Belgian labor policies and taxes against the Hutu majority. In 1959, the Hutu majority gained power and killed 150,000 Tutsi.(revenge!!)

History Continued 1961 – Rwandans gained their independence from Belgium. 1990 – A Tutsi rebel group (comprised of the children of those killed and exiled in 1951) called the RPF, invades the country. At the same time, the Hutu regime was training men for genocide. What does genocide mean? Mass extermination of a certain ethnicity.

The weapon of choice for these killings: the machete

History Continued 1990 The Hutu regime spread anti-Tutsi propaganda over the radio.

History Continued 1990 The Hutu regime spread anti-Tutsi propaganda over the radio. What is propaganda?

History Continued 1990 The Hutu regime spread anti-Tutsi propaganda over the radio. What is propaganda? Messages aimed at influencing people’s opinions. It may or may not be completely true information. Minority ethnic Tutsi living in exile in neighboring countries sought to return to Rwanda in the 1980s, but were prevented from doing so. Some joined the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), a largely Tutsi rebel army that invaded Rwanda in 1990, seeking the right of exiles to return. Tutsis in Rwanda were arrested and harassed as accomplices of the invasion. Extremist radio and print media depicted all Tutsis as helping the invading force.

History Continued 1994 Nearly 1 million Tutsis were killed by the Hutu regime. (GENOCIDE). The killings were sparked by the assassination of the Hutu president. They believed the President was killed by a Tutsi. This could never be proven. The Tutsi rebel group took control of the capital city and ended the war.

1996 Tutsi returning to Rwanda after the Hutus were defeated.

History Continued As a result of the Tutsi gaining control of the capital city, the Hutus were forced to flee the country to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo).

History Continued As a result of the Tutsi gaining control of the capital city, the Hutus were forced to flee the country to Zaire (now Democratic Republic of Congo). How does the minority of the population having all the power cause problems in a country?

Movie: Hotel Rwanda Takes place in 1994 during the civil war. The Tutsis are hated and called cockroaches. The Hutus are in power. The Hutu army attacks the Tutsis. The Interhamwe is a Hutu militia which also attacks the Tutsi. Paul is Hutu. He is married to a Tutsi.