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Who was Paul Rusesabagina?
Paul Rusesabagina (1954- ) Paul Rusesabagina, a former Rwandan hotel manager who protected 1,268 people from the 1994 Rwandan genocide, was born in 1954 in a Hutu family of farmers.
What was Paul Rusesabagina's story?
In 2006, the former hotel manager published his autobiography titled An Ordinary Man, which focused on the Rwandan genocide. In 2005, he was presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which is the highest civilian honor in the United States, ...
Where did Rusesabagina go to school?
Before working in the hotel business, Rusesabagina went to a missionary school in central Rwanda and attended the Faculty of Theology in Cameroon. In 1984, he became the assistant manager of the luxury Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, the Rwandan capital.
When did the Rwandan genocide begin?
Hutu political leaders blamed the Tutsi and urged retaliation, officially launching the genocide on April 7, 1994.
Was Rusesabagina a hero?
Yet, some in Rwanda were critical of Rusesabagina’s depiction in the film and worldwide recognition as a hero. He was accused by Kigali locals of having taken advantage of the 1994 situation by extorting money from the hotel refugees, and then of distorting the truth by publicly presenting himself as a generous hero.
Who was Paul Rusesabagina?
Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu, became well known after Hotel Rwanda depicted his efforts to save hundreds of Tutsis at his hotel during the 1994 genocide. He later launched an opposition party, which had an armed wing based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. About 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the genocide.
Who played Rusesabagina in Hotel Rwanda?
The 2004 film Hotel Rwanda told the story of how Mr Rusesabagina, a middle-class Hutu married to a Tutsi, used his influence - and bribes - to convince military officials to secure a safe escape for an estimated 1,200 people who sought shelter at the Mille Collines Hotel in Kigali. Don Cheadle played Mr Rusesabagina in the film.
What was Rusesabagina accused of?
In 2011, Mr Rusesabagina was accused of funding subversion in Rwanda, but no charges were brought. At the time, he denied any wrongdoing and said there was a smear campaign against him. President Kagame's critics accuse him of not tolerating any opposition.
Who was arrested for the Rwandan genocide?
Paul Rusesabagina: Hotel Rwanda film hero arrested. A man who inspired a Hollywood film about the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been arrested for leading "terrorist movements", officials say. Paul Rusesabagina, a Hutu, became well known after Hotel Rwanda depicted his efforts to save hundreds of Tutsis at his hotel during the 1994 genocide.
How many days did the Rwanda genocide last?
Rwanda genocide: 100 days of slaughter. 'I am a mother - I killed some children's parents'. Mr Rusesabagina, 66, has received several human rights awards for his life-saving efforts, including the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005.
How long was Paul Rusesabagina in the air?
27, 2020, Paul Rusesabagina stepped off a flight from Chicago and walked into Terminal 3 at Dubai International Airport. He had been in the air for 14 hours, but his journey wasn’t done: Later that night, ...
What is Paul Rusesabagina charged with?
Now He’s Accused of Terrorism. Long hailed for his bravery during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, Paul Rusesabagina is now charged with being an insurgent leader.
How long did Rusesabagina keep the killers at bay?
For 11 weeks, Rusesabagina had kept the killers at bay. “He would always say, ‘I was just doing my job,’” says Tom Zoellner, co-writer of Rusesabagina’s 2006 autobiography, “An Ordinary Man.”. “I think he didn’t want to embarrass Sabena.
What did Rusesabagina and Niyomwungere do at the airport?
Once airborne, they toasted each other with Champagne. Five hours later, most of which Rusesabagina spent asleep, Niyomwungere shook his friend awake.
What movie did Rusesabagina play in?
The steps he took to safeguard this desperate group of guests were later heroicized in the acclaimed 2004 film “Hotel Rwanda” — Don Cheadle’s portrayal of him earned an Oscar nomination for Best Actor — and Rusesabagina himself became a minor celebrity in the global human rights community.
How has Kagame helped Rwanda?
No one can deny that Kagame, in the 26 years since he rose to power, has helped to rebuild Rwanda from the ruins . Millions have been lifted out of poverty; the nation’s 73 percent literacy rate, according to the United Nations, represents an increase of 13 percent since the genocide, and petty corruption is nearly nonexistent. To me, having witnessed the genocide and its aftermath as part of decades of reporting in Africa, the country’s transformation seems almost miraculous. As Andrew Mitchell, a British Conservative member of Parliament and a longtime Kagame ally, put it to me, the rulers have “pulled the country back from utter barbarity, to a position where they have a working health care system, prosperity and development.”
When did Rusesabagina return to the Mille Collines?
Bizumuremyi said he warmly welcomed Rusesabagina back to the Mille Collines in 2003, when the former hotelier accompanied the filmmaker Terry George on a research trip to the hotel.
Why did Paul Rusesabagina become a leader?
Paul Rusesabagina became a leader because of a great tragedy.
Where did Rusesabagina work?
Rusesabagina’s story begins with his job as a higher up in one of the pricier hotels of Rwanda, the Hotel des Milles Collines. As tensions rise he continues in his job while connecting himself to the generals and important people that would stay within the walls of his hotel.
How many refugees did Paul have?
Soon enough, his group of less than 50 Tutsi and Hutu refugees became more than 1,000 .
What can we learn from the leadership of Paul?
Through the Leadership of Paul, we can learn of the truth that leadership can and will come with a cost. In order to protect those people, he put not only himself and his family at risk. This lack of safety was what Paul accepted in order to be the leader that these people needed to get through the genocide.
Who painted the Rwandan flag on his face?
Portrait of a boy with the flag of Rwanda painted on his face. By Hope O’Brien and Sebenzile Nkambule. The movie Hotel Rwanda came about in 2004 as a historical drama to depict the story of Paul Rusesabagina, a hero and leader of the Rwandan genocide. Before speaking on Rusesabagina, first let’s begin with a little background on what was happening ...
Who is the main character in Hotel Rwanda?
It is this tragedy that brought about the hero and leader of our groups chosen movie. Paul Rusesabagina, the main character of Hotel Rwanda and savior of over 1,200 Tutsi refugees, began out as someone who may not be seen as a leader.
Was the Hutus takeover peaceful?
This takeover was sudden, however, it was peaceful. As the years continued, the Hutus and Tutsis interacted with the Belgians who had come into Rwanda. A divide between Hutu and Tutsi was only furthered by the Belgian allowance of Tutsi monarchs to have power of Hutus.
Who is Tatiana Rusesabagina?
Tatiana Rusesabagina. Tatiana Rusesabagina (born October 24, 1958) is a Rwandan who with her husband Paul Rusesabagina, survived in Hôtel des Mille Collines during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, and saved over a thousand people from being murdered.
What is the Rusesabagina Foundation?
They created the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation in 2005 whose mission is to "prevent future genocides and raise awareness of the need for a new truth and reconciliation process in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa".
What ethnic group was Paul's family?
The conflict between these two ethnic groups goes back centuries in Rwanda. Paul's family was of mixed Hutu and Tutsi which meant he was not as much of a target as a full blood Tutsi. Paul was initially at the hotel himself, and later had Tatiana come to the hotel for safety with the children.
Why was Tatiana beaten?
Tatiana was a specific target of brutal beatings because the militia knew that she was the Tutsi wife of the hotel manager, and she barely escaped death and made it back to the hotel, where she was bedridden for several days because of her injuries.
Where does Tatiana live?
The family escaped to Tanzania and later settled in Brussels, Belgium, where they received frequent threats. Tatiana currently lives in San Antonio, Texas, as Paul did. Paul was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 by George W. Bush, with Tatiana by his side. The family is still active as advocates for genocide survivors and for the betterment of the Tutsi people in Rwanda. They created the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation in 2005 whose mission is to "prevent future genocides and raise awareness of the need for a new truth and reconciliation process in Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa".
Why did Paul and Tatiana go to refugee camp?
The people taking shelter inside of the hotel were all saved because of Rusesabagina's careful diplomacy with the government, which included bribing them so they would not enter the hotel and harm anyone. Once they were able to leave the hotel, Paul and Tatiana went to a refugee camp to begin looking for family.
What happened to Tatiana's mother?
Tatiana's mother was murdered in the genocide along with other family members and their bodies were thrown into a pit with many others. Her father paid to be killed by shooting, so that he did not have to die a more painful and horrific death.
Overview
Paul Rusesabagina (Kinyarwanda: [ɾusesɑβaɟinɑ]; born 15 June 1954) is a Rwandan politician. He worked as the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali, during a period in which it housed 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the Interahamwe militia during the Rwandan genocide. None of these refugees were hurt or killed during the attacks.
An account of Rusesabagina's actions during the genocide was later dramatised in the film Hote…
Birth and career
Rusesabagina was born in 1954. He was one of nine children born to a Hutu father, a respected community elder named Thomas Rupfure, and a Tutsi mother in Murama, Rwanda. Although stating that he grew up poor, in a "house ... made of mud and sticks" and "without shoes", Rusesabagina described his upbringing as "solidly middle class by the standards of Africa in the 1950s". Rusesabagina's parents sent him to school in a town near Gitwe run by the Seventh-day A…
Rwandan genocide
During Rusesabagina's training abroad, and his rise as a distinguished hôtelier, the Hutu-dominated government of President Juvénal Habyarimana was facing military pressure from the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). After a ceasefire in Arusha brought the Civil War to an end in 1993, several reports of militia activity – including the stockpiling of weapons and the creation of lists of Tutsis – had been received by the UN and other authorities. Alongside this, radio station…
Post-Genocide and Politics
After staying in Rwanda for two more years after the genocide, Rusesabagina applied for asylum in Belgium and moved to Brussels with his wife, children, and two nieces in 1996, allegedly fearing for his life. There he worked as a taxi driver. They later settled in San Antonio, Texas.
In 1999, Rusesabagina received a phone call from an American screenwriter named Keir Pearson. Pearson, along with his colleague Terry George, went on to write the script for Hotel Rwanda in co…
Controversy
While it has received widespread acclaim in both the United States and the Western world, Hotel Rwanda and Rusesabagina's role during the Genocide have both been subjects of significant controversy elsewhere, particularly in Rwanda.
In 2008, the book Hotel Rwanda or the Tutsi Genocide as seen by Hollywood, by Alfred Ndahiro, a public relations advisor to Kagame, and journalist Privat Rutazibwa, was published. The authors …
Arrest and trial
On 31 August 2020, Rusesabagina was arrested on charges of terrorism, arson, kidnap and "murder perpetrated against unarmed, innocent Rwandan civilians on Rwandan territory". The charges refer to terrorist attacks that took place in the south of Rwanda, near the Burundi border, in 2018. At least 9 people were killed in these attacks, including two children. According to a Twitter post by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB), he was arrested in Kigali on an international warrant and i…
Awards received
• 2000 – Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity
• 2005 – Wallenberg Medal of the University of Michigan
• 2005 – National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award
• 2005 – Presidential Medal of Freedom
Media
Rusesabagina's story was first told in Philip Gourevitch's book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families, which was published in 1998.
His autobiography An Ordinary Man (written with Tom Zoellner ISBN 0-670-03752-4) was published by Zach Bell in April 2006.
In 2008, Alfred Ndahiro – a close advisor to Paul Kagame – and Rwandan scholar Privat Rutazib…