Inspired from a passionate load:

“Right, so. I’m pleased to report I still have not forgone my compulsive procrastination, and I continue to remain steadfast in my personal vendetta against schoolwork. Finally, I think it’s beginning to pay off. It’s not often I can go see a 2 hour long insanely depressing movie the night before an exam for a class that I’ve attended mayyyybe twice and walk out of the exam room knowing I eff’ing rocked that shat harder than an itty bitty baby in an itty bitty cradle in a gigantic tree in the middle of a horrendously torrential monsoon. Masha’Allah to that, straight up.

So this movie. Hotel Rwanda. Have you seen it? You should. I want to express my utter initial shock and disbelief at the intolerably true-to-reality situations depicted in that 1hr50mins. I want to denounce all of humanity for being so terribly caught up in capitalism and materialism and jahil’ism that outright genocide no longer fazes us. I want to somehow understand, capture, and verbalize the barrage of horrendous emotions that managed to leap from the screen and crystallize on my cheeks as flowing rivulets of tears.

But I fear all that emotional nonsense just adds to the problem. It’s a vicious cycle – as humans in today’s sorry excuse of a global society, we see too many God-awful tragedies to give any one of them the full attention it both deserves and begs for. Instead, we watch a startlingly astonishing movie such as Hotel Rwanda, leave the theatre with bloodshot eyes and still-wet cheeks, and proceed to go home and sit in a dazed stupor for all of 10 minutes, till we decide we need to watch some Conan O’Brian to relieve our wearied brains. Or even better, we become so unbelievably wrapped up in the intense passion of the moment when a tsunami destroys entire portions of the world, that we hastily pledge hundreds of thousands of dollars for relief efforts, only to default just weeks later. Besides, what’s the point in dwelling on calamities from every corner of the world when freaking Jacko is on trial, clearly more deserving of airtime? Pointing fingers is useless and petty. But tell me, what do you do when the problem begins with you?

- Kinga.”

“Masha’Allah to that, straight up.”

As for the issue of the moment – of the year – of eternity – whichever, today a friend tells me about how in the Congo fathers are made to watch their sons rape their mothers at gunpoint.

It made my heart bleed. I felt helpless. A few moments later another friend comes online – I message her and she replies that she wants to be alone because she just watched a guy destroy himself and she couldn’t do a thing about it. She felt helpless. I always love the synchronicity – gotten used to it now.

Once I met someone who had decided to actually take matters into her own hands – had gone to Sri Lanka on volunteer work, wanted to make a difference, poured her heart into helping people – and all she got in return was the cynicism of people wondering where some yuppie girl from Australia gets off on thinking she can make any change at all. They had told her point blank, “The world can’t change, honey, come to grips with it.”

She explained that felt she overempathised with the sorrow of the world – it was the first time I had even conceived of such a thing as ‘overempathy’… but anyway… what other things are there, oh yes: We are sedated… because we cannot even make a little change in our own homes. Isn’t that so? Why would we go halfway across the world to be charitable when we’re not emanating goodwill at our own doorstep?

Do we really need to see a heartbreaking flick in order to be shaken out of a stupor? And you know what; I shouldn’t be asking this question because I’m passionate about filmmaking. And you know what made me want to make films? Gandhi. The movie. No, not the autobiography, though all that did was nauseate me to the idealism of the man.

There is this scene in the film, where a policeman is beating Gandhi for not following instructions. While he is being battered… Gandhi… without resisting, yet with absolute resolve, continues to burn all the passes that make Indians secondary citizens in Africa. Just watching his determination moved me. And I thought, ‘If I can be so moved by such a thing – so goddamn inspired – all that I want is to bring about the same movement in everyone else.’

Things change – and it’s been a while since I decided that, but you know what, the core is still the same. The core hasn’t even flickered an inch. At one point I entertained the thought of mass paradigm shifts on the planet using movies. Often now, I doubt if that is possible. It makes me question the cause of man’s integrity. It’s there. It always is. Asleep perhaps – but I would never conceive of a total destruction of integrity. And if anything can awaken it, why not films?

So, what do I do when the problem begins with me? Breathe.

Paul Rusesabagina, real life hero of the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda and the President and Founder of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, will speak to the American Model United Nations (AMUN) International conference on Sunday, November 22 at the 1:15 p.m. in the International Ballroom on the second floor at the Hilton Chicago Hotel at 720 S. Michigan Avenue in Chicago.

The AMUN conference will be held at the Hilton Chicago Hotel from November 21 – 24, the second largest Collegiate Model UN Conference in the US (there are approximately 300 conferences across the US, with 25% at the college level and 75% high school) The conference, which is expecting 1,500 participants from 100+ schools, representing 140+ UN Member States. Participants are from across the United States and international locations, including Taiwan, India, Nigeria and Belgium. This is the 20th Anniversary conference, the first conference was held in Chicago in 1990, with 14 schools and 27 countries represented, and 200 participants.

Background on Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation

After the release of the movie Hotel Rwanda, Paul Rusesabagina formed the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which is based in Chicago. In order to further the mission of his foundation, Rusesabagina now tours the world speaking about social justice, human rights activism and the lessons learned from the Rwandan genocide, one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century. He has spoken to large organizations of journalists, educators, students, policymakers, business leaders and human rights advocates throughout Europe and the United States. Rusesabagina describes his experiences during the horrific genocide, the terror and the helplessness of the people he sheltered, and the ways in which governments, non-governmental organizations and ordinary people can work together to prevent genocide throughout the world.

The Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation (HRRF) raises public awareness about the need for an internationally administered Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa.  The Foundation also works on issues related to the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 5 million have died.  The Foundation is campaigning for an end to Rwandan military intervention in the Congo and against the deadly exploitation of conflict minerals in the region.

Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation working for peace and reconciliation in Rwanda and the Congo

‘Hotel Rwanda’ subject reflects on country

Gretchen Weicker
The Herald-Zeitung

Published November 1, 2009

The name Rusesabagina means “a warrior who disperses his enemies.” This has powerful significance for the international hero, Paul Rusesabagina, and his wife, Taciana.

The Academy Award-nominated movie “Hotel Rwanda” chronicled their courage during 100 days of Rwandan genocide from April 1994 through mid-July of that year. Rueseabagina saved more than 1,200 people by sheltering them in the Belgian-owned Hotel Des Mille Collines, a luxury hotel in Kigali, Rwanda where Rusesabagina was the manager.

Rusesabagina and his wife visited the Herald-Zeitung on Wednesday, Oct. 21.

Herald-Zeitung: What is most important for us to know about Rwanda?

Rusesabagina: Its past and present are both complicated. Although genocide comes and goes within a finite time period, the seeds are sown over time by terrorism, revenge, reprisals and civil war. These are the triggering events. Yesterday’s victims become today’s oppressors. The dancers may change, but the music’s the same.

People like to look for someone to blame, but the Belgian colonial government just accepted the existing relationship between the Tutsis and Hutus. Slavery preceded colonialism, with the Tutsis as the ruling class. One of our Roman Catholic bishops even said, “The Hutus were never created to lead.” But actually my wife and I are a truly mixed couple. I’m Hutu because of my father, and she’s Tutsi.

For now, Rwanda is like a silent volcano waiting to explode again. The United Nations Resolution 955 established an international tribunal to prosecute the perpetrators of the 1994 genocide. Still, both parties had been warring since 1990. That’s why it looks like war criminals and terrorists are the “winners” and those who participated in the 100 days of genocidal massacre are the “losers.” Justice has failed, and the tribunal has spent around $26 billion dollars to convict about 30 people. Amnesty International’s annual reports describe these injustices and more.

For me, the most important thing in the U.N. resolution was their requirement that the tribunal establish a reconciliation commission to heal a wounded nation. When you have a history of endless revenge, only reconciliation can stop the killing. As a man in Belfast, Ireland said to me recently, “We’ve made huge steps. We can now look someone in the eye and say we hate them, but we don’t have to kill ‘em. We have to live together.”

South Africa’s commission is the most widely known successful one, but many nations have adapted this kind of thing to their own cultural problems. The primary focus of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation is to “engage in a campaign to educate the world about the need for an internationally sanctioned Truth, Equal Justice, Equal Rights, and Reconciliation Commission for the Great Lakes Region of Africa, which includes Rwanda, Burundi, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.” http://hrrfoundation.org

HZ: How accurately does the film “Hotel Rwanda” tell your family’s story?

R: I worked with the filmmakers and the actors from the beginning until the final screening. I met for extended periods with Don Cheadle, who played me. I told the whole story to the director Terry George and his writers and was on the set during filming. I was offered an earlier film deal with a big firm, but I refused to do it. They seemed to want to focus on the killings and on what would sell. An independent filmmaker like Terry George did such a fine film because he had artistic freedom.

I wanted the message to be, “Do justice,” so that we could prevent these conflicts. The movie shows the worst in people, but also shows the best.

With the PG-13 rating, I knew the younger generation could see it, especially my own children. The film’s title gave a memorable name to the foundation. This is my legacy.

H-Z: Are you a hero?

R: I’m asked this all the time. People become heroes when they listen to their own conscience. The majority isn’t always right, but you know right from wrong. Listen to yourself.

At the hotel, I had done lots of favors for people. I never underestimated these connections. Really, they owed me more than I owed them and they remembered me. When the time came for me to save people, I just called in all my stockpile of favors.

Later, at the end of July 1994, Taciana and I made the decision to fight, but not with killing, even though I was tempted. We left the capital of Kigali to drive south to Taciana’s family home. We saw no living things except dogs and flies. The land was devastated and covered with dead bodies.

We found her older brother still alive and sheltering her sister, family members, neighbors and many children. Nearby homes had been burned to the ground. At her mother’s house, six grandchildren, a daughter-in-law, and her mother had been killed and dropped into a pit. Surviving family members were at another sister’s house. Small children, especially the frequently targeted young boys, were hidden. Yes, we cried and I just wanted to kill people, but since I was one of the few men alive, I had a duty to the living. We loaded up the brother’s car and ours and drove back to Kigali. Our home there became a crowded shelter for family and friends.

H-Z: Are you personally safe today?

R: I am a most wanted man. The first thing we did was send our children to boarding school in the United States. There are evidently people in Belgium who don’t like me. We have been living in Brussels for the last 15 years. My guardian angels had to work overtime there. Also, a big car with strong airbags helped when I was run off the road sandwiched between an 18-wheeler and a mysterious car.

Our home in Brussels was ransacked three times by “professional” invaders clearly hunting for documents about my whereabouts and that of others. My lawyers invested lots of time “disturbing the Belgian government” for protection.

The last invasion was this past March when I left home early to meet Taciana in Boston. It was then and there we decided to relocate to the United States. Since the current Rwandan government is supported by the U.S., we believe our attackers “will hold back.” We’ve moved to Texas. We believe we are safe here.

H-Z: We are honored by your presence here today and by your appearance on Saturday, Nov. 14, at the Bob Krueger Public Service Award Dinner.

R: Thank you. Just remember we will not give up and we will win. Believe this.

So far on the journalism diploma course we have been forced to grow up fast.

After three years of enjoying the student lifestyle, it has been made clear to us that this is more like a job.

Lie-ins and four-day weekends have given way to 9-to-5s, strict work deadlines and ‘professional life streams.’

Given all of this, it was refreshing to get a perspective on journalism from someone who hasn’t really ‘grown up.’

Dr meadows

With his youthful smirk and smart-casual attire, Dr Daniel Meadows could easily be mistaken for one of the ‘down-with-the-kids’ teachers in a teen movie.

Dr Daniel Meadows

He seemed to be making a statement with his entrance, and to be honest it could have gone either way.

Or so I thought. But Dr Meadows had the room hooked from the start with his genuineness and awkward charm. He gave the impression he didn’t want to be pigeonholed by the ‘doctor’ tag.

Say cheese

And it was this same charm which helped Dan kickstart his journalistic career, with something called the photobus.

The year was 1973. Britain was going to the dogs, the world was at his feet, and journalists were still using clichés.

It was a time when, as Dan tells us, it was very difficult to break into the world of journalism.

Without the familial or platonic connections which might fast-track him into this world, and without the blogging framework which helps all us desperate hacks get a foot through the door, Dan took to the streets.

JRR404 in all her glory

The vehicle above is JRR 404, the bus in which a young Daniel Meadows lived and travelled the country, taking photos of anyone who was won over by his charisma and wafro.

And the results of this experiment would prove more far-reaching than even Dan himself could have imagined.

This uninspiring lecture theatre is as far as possible from the streets of 70s Britain, and unambitious manufactured pop – rather than the expressive invention of punk and reggae – is the soundtrack to this generation.

So it is perhaps less surprising than you would think that in 1999 – 25 years after the first photos were taken on the ‘Free Photographic Omnibus’ - the images captured on humble black and white film still carry great importance.

Dan captures our imagination with tales of Lynne the go-go dancer, and Florence, who proclaimed herself ‘one of lifes losers.’

While the stories themselves are inspiring and emotive from a human standpoint, Dan’s methods helped enlighten us about the value of images, both still and moving, in the work of any journalist.

Fakes, liars and stars

At the end of the lecture, we were advised to look at a short film by Marcus Bleasdale entitled Rape of a Nation. The film is a wonderful piece of journalism, and a perfect example of one man’s effort to use the visual arts to give a news piece more impact.

Bleasdale’s work will hopefully be successful in bringing the political situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, a country whose name alone evokes a cruel irony when juxtaposed with his images, to the fore.

The conflict has had criminally little coverage in this country compared to situations in Gaza and Bosnia which – while no less appalling – surely do not deserve a monopoly on western guilt.

Even the recent genocide in Rwanda, which saw hundreds of thousands die needlessly, only captured our attention when visualised in films such as Hotel Rwanda and Shooting Dogs. Until then, as one character says with such painful honesty in the latter, “They’re just dead Africans.”

Hugh Dancy (left) and John Hurt in 'Shooting Dogs'

Seeing is believing

While it is perhaps going too far to say that it is the responsibility of journalists to bring such significant stories into the public eye through the media of pictures and videos, we should certainly not ignore the opportunity which technological developments have given us.

With print and online journalism perhaps more closely aligned than ever before, those of us with the facilities to make the suffering of the Congolese and others more ‘real’  should not waste this opportunity.

And the logical step up from driving around Britain with a bus and a camera is flying around the world with the means to instantaneously publish whatever you feel should be seen.

I will leave you with this wonderful collage, compiled by the band A Perfect Circle. While it cannot be classed as conventional journalism, the convergence of all forms of media mean that it is capable of fulfilling the same task we all should set out to achieve.

Lunsjpausen på jobb var brukt til å diskutera film. Alt fra action til reine skrekkfilmar vart nøye granska. Kva kvepp ein av og kva kvepp ein ikkje av. Ein av filmane som kom opp var The Descent. Denne er faktisk skummel sjølv utan lyd og det er ikkje ofte ein kan seie Kom på at denne ikkje er i samlinga mi, så eit kjapt søk på play.com fiksa den biffen. Og det til den nette sum av £5. Eit røvarkjøp. Klar for å kveppa litt igjen. Andre titlar som vart diskutert var blant anna The Grudge (halvvegs kveppefilm) og Saw filmane. Sistenevnte har eg faktisk ikkje noko behov for å sjå. Trur det blir litt for mykje av det gode for min del Såg forøvrig Paranormal Activities her om dagen. Denne skulle da vera så voldsomt skummel, men underteikna var ikkje i nærheita av å kveppa ein einaste gong. Skuffande. Når det gjeld film så er eg altetandes til enkelte venners store frustrasjon.

I kveld stod ein film eg har hatt liggande i ein evigheit men som eg aldri har fått rota meg til å sjå nemleg Hotel Rwanda. Ein rett så god film om borgarkrigen i nevnte land og ein manns kamp med å redde menneskeliv. Så dersom det er nokon som er lika treige som meg og ikkje har fått sett denna filmen så kan eg anbefala den på det sterkaste.

Da får ein slappa av litt før senga kaller. Ny dag og nye moglegheiter i morgon.

Jewish Actress Sophie Okonedo Explores Biracial Identity

BY NAOMI PFEFFERMAN

“I’m a North London, working-class, black, Jewish girl,” actress Sophie Okonedo said. “I love my upbringing because it had so many different colors; it’s given me the equipment to play lots of diverse roles.”

In 2005, the tall, striking actress burst into the international spotlight when she was nominated for an Oscar for her harrowing turn as the wife of a hotel manager who hid more than 1,200 refugees from genocidal militias in “Hotel Rwanda.” As the unexpected new toast of Hollywood — Newsweek described her performance as a “revelation” — she went on to portray an emotionally disturbed young woman in civil rights-era South Carolina in “The Secret Life of Bees.”

Now she has tackled her first leading role in “Skin,” based on the true story of Sandra Laing, a biracial girl born to white parents — unaware of a black ancestor in their family tree — in 1950s South Africa. The film chronicles the parents’ battle for Sandra to be classified as “white,” her rebellion and marriage to a black man and subsequent struggle to be reclassified as “colored” to keep her children. At one point in the film, Laing’s parents learn the 10-year-old Sandra cannot continue to live in their home unless she is documented as a household servant.

The script stunned Okonedo when it arrived at her North London home not long after her Oscar nomination. “The story was so extraordinary I almost couldn’t believe it was true,” she said from the flat she shares with her 12-year-old daughter.

And then there was the personal connection for Okonedo, 40, who was raised by her Ashkenazi mother and Yiddish-speaking grandparents after her father, a Nigerian civil servant, abandoned the family when Sophie was 5.

“I could relate to being black and brought up in a white family,” she said. “Of course being raised in North London in the 1970s was much kinder than South Africa in the ’50s. But it was helpful to understand what it is like to have a family that is a different color than you — and to question your heritage when people say, ‘That can’t possibly be your mum.’”

…Okonedo was the only black congregant at the liberal synagogue she attended with her grandparents, although she refuses to discuss previous remarks she reportedly made about encountering discrimination from both blacks and Jews.

…“My grandparents kept a fairly Jewish household,” Okonedo said. “They celebrated all the holidays, and they spoke Yiddish when they didn’t want me to understand the conversation. I feel sad I didn’t learn Yiddish as a child,” she added. “It’s such a fantastic language, so expressive. And now my grandparents are too old to teach me.”

Now that her grandparents are in their 90s, the family holiday celebrations have ceased. “But culturally I’m still very Jewish,” Okonedo said. “It’s all in my blood.”

Over the years, her mother has remained Okonedo’s staunchest champion — encouraging her to attend the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art after she dropped out of school at 16, and later traveling with her to theater and movie sets to attend to her hair. “I’m not very good at the whole dressing-up thing,” Okonedo said.

Read the entire article here.

Well, obviously enough, I’m deciding not only to review new movies, but a variety of them, old and new. Great old films need to be revisited from time to time. I mean, I’m a new film student. There are tons of films I haven’t seen, and I imagine that’s the way it is with a lot of people my age. So in addition to just reviewing it, obviously some historical significance will be discussed and other such things. I just became a member of Netflix, so every DVD that gets shipped to me will be reviewed on here. The one I received and watched yesterday, Hotel Rwanda, is the subject of this post.

Also, for future reference, I’ll probably just review a bunch of movies on here, attempting to go fairly in-depth into them. It’s much less of a review in the sense of pure recommendations for seeing it or not seeing it, but more like a foundation for a discussion. I look into the movie, utilize my knowledge that I’m obtaining in school, and try and provide some thoughts about the movie. What better way to help me learn about film than by watching? I’ll do my best to see one new movie a day (though there might be days wherein I haven’t the free time, so I’ll make up for it somehow), and try even harder to go see a new one in theaters at least once a week.

Alright. You should know the context of me re-watching this movie. I saw it early in high school, I believe. I can’t remember exactly when, but that’s not important. Basically, I couldn’t really appreciate the rich and deep themes of the film. It was a well told story to me, and that was it. It really sucked to be Don Cheadle’s character. That was my initial impression of the film. However, now that I’ve attended some college and started to emerge from the bonds of adolescence, I’m more able to appreciate this film for what it is: a great commentary on imperialism and war.

See, some people might say that this movie demonizes the Hutu and sympathizes with the Tutsi. I would agree, to an extent, but it does so because of the nature of the main character. There’s no doubting that the Hutu could and would be pretty vicious and downright evil at times. Now, just because the Hutu are portrayed as evil doesn’t mean that the Tutsi are automatically good. Sure, they end up being a huge help in the end, but they are indeed involved in the war. In my humble opinion, if you’re involved in a war, regardless of the arguable necessity of it at times, there is some evil in you. You’re taking part in the killing of other humans, something I think most people would agree is a bad thing. It can make sense, like if your country is being invaded, but that doesn’t automatically negate the negativity of killing other people. This movie definitely demonizes the Hutu more, considering it portrays them as the main bad guy, and they’re the majority being incredibly discriminatory toward the minority.

But ultimately, I think it’s just stating that regardless of the reason, war is bad. Killing people is bad. Being mean is bad. Being nice is good. Not killing is good. So on and so forth.

If you think about it, however, the movie really shows how imperialism screwed up Rwanda. The Belgians create this false division in the Rwandan society, and everything goes through extra hell when they leave. They’re the true bad guys in this movie.

Anyway, these sorts of historical themes are things I can appreciate now. Moving on to another huge theme in the movie: the U.N.

People have told me, “Lefty, the moral of this movie is that the U.N. is freakin’ worthless,” usually with more colorful language. However, my argument is that the U.N. isn’t necessarily worthless, just that it needs the support of its members, like any group. You have the peacekeepers, who are far too outnumbered to even think about keeping the peace. Member nations of the U.N. are unwilling to support the U.N. and by extension, support Rwanda. It’s as the cameraman said, they’ll hear the news, think it’s terrible, then go right back to eating their dinners.

On the subject of the movie itself, it’s well made. Good acting on all fronts (of course we can expect that from Don Cheadle, really). It really is an acting movie. It’s not as if the cinematography, editing, etc. weren’t good, it’s just that the acting and writing really steals the show. It’s definitely a must see, but be prepared to cry. I did so multiple times. But I want to know what you think. How do you feel about the film? Do you agree or disagree with me, and why? I’d love to hear your input in the comments section below.

This won’t be a trend, I promise, I’ll go into more technical aspects of movies when I find one where it’s really worth doing so. I mean, Where the Wild Things Are looked and felt great, but everyone was already raving about that. Just looking at the trailer makes you realize that’s the case. It’s the story that’s completely stolen the show in both reviews so far, and I apologize for those of you with an interest in it.

Also, I’ll try and do my reviews a bit closer to when I actually see the movie as to capture more of that immediate reaction to them.

Dave, un estudiante universitario de aquí, en Sunderland (Inglaterra), donde estoy viviendo en el momento, me dejó el otro día la película “Hotel Rwanda”. Habíamos estado charlando durante bastante tiempo sobre sus intenciones de irse a África después de la carrera. Me enseñó su colección de libros en swahili, la lengua que está aprendiendo ahora para prepararse.

Ésta tarde he visto la película, y sentido rabia. Por la violencia sin piedad, sin argumentos de peso, entre hutus y tutsis, en su momento, y por la cobardía de los países que podíamos hacer algo e hicimos muy poco. Y me hizo pensar en lo peligroso que es utilizar los sentimientos nacionalistas, raciales, localistas, identitarios… que todos tenemos (en un sentido u otro, más evidentes o menos), de forma extrema. La recomiendo, da que pensar.

Poco después me metía en El País, y he aquí un reportaje sobre una ideología que ya hace años que se reinstalando en países que deberían explicar mejor su historia reciente. “El fascismo despierta de nuevo en Italia”.

Y de ahí, al documental Nazi Rock, que explica como no sólo en Alemania o Estados Unidos el fenómeno va tomando lugar, como ya saíamos, sino también en Gran Bretaña, Italia… Vale la pena verlo. Y pensar. Y sacar conclusiones sobre quienes somos, cuál es nuestra identidad real. Y qué diremos si el fascismo se va exteniendo entre la gente, y acaba apareciendo en los gobiernos de los países donde vivimos.

800,000 Rwandans murdered in only 100 days.  If only Rwanda was filled with diamonds and oil.  Either one of those resources would have caught the attention of the US.

Murambi Genocide Memorial Site

This project is centered on the main building in Murambi, a school that has been left vacated since the genocide in 1994. The school classrooms where over eight hundred corpses have been preserved have been left untouched. After the genocide, as mass graves were being discovered around the city, it was decided that a single monument/ burial place should be created, where the victims could be laid to rest with dignity.

"In a barn-like building at the far end of the complex, coarse blue rope has been strung across a cavernous space. Bloodstained clothes have been draped over the rope."

On the ground floor on the main building new walls were constructed to create a space that allowed for the design of the exhibition and burial place. The open hall on the ground floor of the main building now has a pathway, which leads visitors first to an exhibition describing the context of the genocide, then into the burial rooms. The burial rooms allow some of the preserved human remains to be viewed, while at the same time they are also buried with some dignity. Some of the survivors of the genocide have been trained as guides at the centre.

Before beginning my educational endeavor into Rwandan history I had great love and respect for the US.  After learning about the US and UN’s atrocious behavior  I am ashamed and disgusted to have ever respected such a petty, inhumane nation (don’t even get me started on the French).  I have never been a fan of Human Rights, nor the UN.  Why is the United Nations still around?  What good have they actually done?  I see the mass genocide in Rwanda as a direct failure of UN intervention.  What is the UN there for if not to intervene when people are being murdered because of their so-called “race”?  A Beligium-created racial difference that resulted in over a million deaths.  I do not understand.  It takes money, wealth and resources (OIL) to get the worlds attention.  I am taking down the Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations.  The West – you have failed again.

On the other hand…

Special shout-out to Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire – Force Commander of the UN units in Rwanda in 1994.  He might just be the Greatest Canadian EVER.  Making him more awesome: the Honourable Romeo Dallaire is now a Liberal Senator from Quebec.  Two things I personally love: Quebec for its poutine and the Liberal’s for the sharing.  Seriously, this man is a hero and the small group of UN Peacekeepers that were allowed to stay in Rwanda are just as kick-ass.

If you thought Hotel Rwanda was sad then check out Sometimes in April.  Hotel Rwanda is baby food in comparison.

The drama is set in two periods, which unfold concurrently: In April 1994, after the Hutu Army begins a systematic slaughter of Tutsis and more moderate Hutus, Augustin and a fellow Army officer named Xavier, defying their leadership, attempt to get their wives and children to safety. Separated from his wife Jeanne and their two sons (whom he entrusts to the care of his reluctant brother), Augustin gets caught in a desperate struggle to survive. Barely escaping the purge, he’s haunted by questions about what happened to his wife, sons and daughter (who was a student at a local boarding school). In 2004, looking for closure and hoping to start a new life with his girlfriend Martine (who taught at his daughter’s school), Augustin visits the United Nations Tribunal in Arusha, where Honoré awaits trial for the incendiary role he and other journalists played in the genocide. In the end, through an emotional meeting with Honoré, Augustin learns the details of his family’s fate, giving him closure and, perhaps, hope for happiness in the future.

“In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

The UN is no “friend” to any nation anymore.

On my homepage for MSN when coming on line, I noticed that one of the sections was on “Movies Men Cry to”. So decided to not only read it but blog about it and see whether I can actually imagine any of my male friends crying to these movies.

E.T. The Extra Terrestrial is the first up in the list, I can imagine possibly a boy crying if they relate to Elliott and would had to say goodbye to there best alien friend.

The Shawshank Redemption – I have to admit that I did not cry at this one, but have seen it in a few lists of movies that make men cry.  Maybe its the male bonding factor?

American History X – I have yet to see this movie.

The Champ – I have seen this and cried, can understand more why men would cry as well.

Dead Poets Society – Carpe Diem . . . I think anyone of either sex who does not shed a tear or at least fill up at this movie is made of stone or something.

Field Of Dreams – a story about a son’s search for his father “build it and he will come . . . can understand with the father/son relationship being the main topic how it could effect men of all ages.

Forrest Gump – Everyone must shed a few tears at different parts of this film, as Forrest is just not smart enough at times to realise what is going on around him.

Gladiator - I guess this one is because of his love for his family.

Glory – Another which I have not seen.

The Green Mile – This one actually broke my heart, and has to be another of the if you did not shed a tear or fill up you are made of stone movies.

Kramer vs Kramer – The breakfast scene at the end is so sad, can understand the father/son relationship again.

My Life – This is really is heartbreaking, a man making videos for his child to watch so he knows him.

Hotel Rwanda – Have yet to see this movie.

Saving Private Ryan – I found this really hard to watch, mainly for the reason that its so heartbreaking with how real it all looks and seems.

Schindler’s List – This is on my Sky+ to watch

Seabiscuit – Yet to see this movie

Stand By Me – Yet to see this movie

United 93 – I found this really awful to watch, and I am sure everyone else who has seen it has as well.

Watership Down – I cried my eyes out when watching this as a child, although cannot remember much of it now.

It’s A Wonderful Life – It must be quite impossible not to cry to this, what would happen if you were never born.

Original Source: MSN Entertainment

So my question is to the male population out there, which movies make you cry?

Do they feature in this list?

Liberal Education 3010

A topics course

Instructor: Dr. Bruce McKay

“This course will consider the problem of genocide from a number of perspectives through a number of theoretical frameworks. We shall ask such questions as: Can we more fully define genocide? Why, in particular, is genocide a problem? Is it a solely modern phenomenon or do other aggressive acts in history constitute genocide? Why is it so difficult to take action when we know that it is occurring? What can we do about it? How can people bring themselves to enact such crimes against fellow humans? What should the role of the arts be in understanding genocide? How can we remember genocide while at the same time reconciling the events of the past with the necessities of the present and future?”

I originally enrolled in this course out of a desire to take a Liberal Education course. Nothing more. The topic piqued my interest and as often my family discussions tend to travel in historical circles, I had been exposed to the history of the Holocaust at a very young age, and thus exposed to what I belive is the very worst of human nature in the form of genocide.

Wanting more out of my education that just the basics, wanting to challenge myself with a topic I am inherently uncomfortable with, and desperately needing real life examples of theory I have been academically exposing myself, “Liberal Education: The problems with genocide” seemed perfect. I had no idea what I was getting myself into.

The first day of class, Dr. McKay has us explain why we were all there and what faculty we were coming from. A myriad of explanations, most often a desire to continue in the Liberal Education department, every class member was there to learn and to expose themselves to new ideas.The syllabus looked intense, of course. Genocide cases are hardly a light topic, but it wasn’t until this recent class that I fully understood what I was going to have to battle with to remain present and articulate in this course.

Tonight’s class: watch Hotel Rwanda and discuss.

Tonight’s class: watch Hotel Rwanda and internally struggle to remain calm and clear enough to establish a conversation, to put forth legitimate idea’s and insight and to refrain from emotional outpourings which most likely stem from my white, catholic guilt.

The hardest moment was when after the movie ended and we resumed into our “discussion circle”. Classmates wiping away tears, struggling to remain composed and understanding that although there is no way to truly understand the after effects of such atrocities, we all feel empathy and maybe can all relate to these acts  of senseless violence someway.

Seeing violence in my home as a child and growing up knowing, understanding completely, that human beings are sometimes the very worst thing to encounter I still cannot comprehend the act of ethnic cleansing. I can still not understand violence in cold blood. For many reasons, I hope to never be able to truly understand it. I grew up in Canada, in southern Alberta, as a white intelligent and more often than not, middle class female. I have seen and experienced misogyny and classism, I have experienced poverty, and have felt the cold stare of not being good enough; but I have never felt as if my life was in danger because of my heritage. My nationality is Canadian, my background is western European.

We, we meaning my general society, my peers, and my mentors, are so fortunate to live in this country and as often as we are reminded it is just as soon forgotten. The atrocities committed on our own native land are terrible and they are an act of ethnic division in themselves.

This class will likely be the most intense academic experience I will have at the University of Lethbridge. I very much hope it forces me to grow further, causes me to think deeper and wider, and affords me the opportunity to learn from my peers to understand their experiences and their perspectives on hate and violence. Rwanda is very far away from Lethbridge, but Lethbridge is not exempt from its own form of ethnic warfare.

I most hope to learn how those exposed to and victims of genocide preserved hope and continued to see the beauty of our world.

I hope to become a better person.

Hotel Rwanda will be re-shown on Widener TV between September 2 – September 13, 2009.

We will be revisiting this film in a summary assignment and in class discussion on Sept. 22, so this may be a good opportunity to watch it again.

Show times are at

6 PM
8 PM
10 PM
12 AM

Voto: 4 (su 10) 

Nel giorno in cui a Venezia viene presentato quello che finora è forse il miglior film della Mostra, viene presentato anche quello che forse è il più brutto. White Material, della francese Claire Denis, è ambientato in un paese africano falcidiato dalla guerra civile. È il Camerun, ma nel film non viene mai precisato. Già questo è un elemento di forte rottura con quasi tutti i film ambientati in Africa degli ultimi anni (L’ultimo Re di Scozia, Hotel Rwanda): non abbiamo l’idea di essere legati a un preciso luogo e un preciso momento storico. Il risultato è che assistiamo a qualcosa di universale, una sorta di racconto morale sul colonialismo, e il rapporto tra i bianchi e i neri.

Il film inizia in medias res: la rivolta è già scoppiata da tempo, e l’esercito sta per riprendere il controllo. Il Boxeur, il capo dei rivoltosi, è stato ferito. Per le strade ci sono dei bambini soldato. Maria, proprietaria terriera, è tenacemente attaccata alla sua terra, e non se ne vuole andare, mentre gli altri europei sono già scappati. Anzi, cerca di salvare il raccolto della piantagione di caffè. E forse anche la sua famiglia, che sembra già piuttosto divisa.

Sarebbe interessante l’idea di White Material, tratto da un romanzo di Doris Lessing. Perché opera come una sorta di contrappasso. La storia è vista con gli occhi di Maria, e vede i bianchi in minoranza, disprezzati, vessati. Sono loro il “materiale bianco” del titolo, un termine dispregiativo che usano gli africani per definirli. “Cane giallo” viene chiamato il figlio di Maria. Una nemesi storica, un atto di rivolta del sud verso il nord del mondo.

Ma il tema non è  messo in scena nel modo migliore: non c’è coesione né progressione narrativa, e il film procede per impressioni, atteggiamenti, piccoli gesti, senza farsi mai racconto, senza mai diventare drammatico. In pratica, non succede quasi niente. I personaggi non sono mai approfonditi a livello psicologico, ma rimangono abbozzati. White Material è un film freddo, distante. Il punto di vista della regia potrebbe essere quello dello studioso, dell’entomologo che analizza in modo distaccato il comportamento dell’essere umano in difficoltà, per carpirne le reazioni di fronte al pericolo. Ma la lente dello scienziato è tutt’altro che nitida. È piuttosto sfocata.

Da non vedere perché: tentativo di operetta morale sull’Africa, che procede per impressioni senza diventare mai racconto, né dramma.

(Pubblicato su Movie Sushi)   

Ci sediamo e Ascanio (mi piace chiamarlo per nome dopo anni di conoscenza artistica) inizia la sua lettura, performance o meglio la sua sempre perfetta oratoria.

Il tema a differenza della altre volte non è più solo l’Italia e suoi mille problemi ma uno stato lontano da noi di cui però tutto il mondo conosce la terribile storia.

Letture sul Rwanda è la ricostruzione aspra e fiabesca allo stesso tempo del genocidio avvenuto nel 1994 contro l’etnia Tutsi che viveva nel territorio.

Forse sarà meglio tratteggiare una piccola ricostruzione storica dell’accaduto in modo che tutti possano ricordare di cosa stiamo parlando.

Il 6 aprile 1994 l’aereo presidenziale dell’allora presidente Juvénal Habyarimana, al potere con un governo dittatoriale dal 1973, venne colpito da un missile terra-aria, mentre il presidente era di ritorno insieme al collega del Burundi Cyprien Ntaryamira da un colloquio di pace. Il giorno seguente a Kigali, capitale del Rwanda iniziarono gli scontri o meglio gli attacchi mirati verso la popolazione Tutsi, accusata dell’attentato, e contro tutti gli Hutu imparentati con questi o schierata su posizioni più moderate. Il segnale dell’inizio delle ostilità fu dato dall’unica radio non sabotata, l’estremista RTLM che incitava attraverso lo speaker Kantano, a seviziare e ad uccidere gli “scarafaggi” Tutsi (scarafaggi, non uomini o persone, ma scarafaggi!).

Da aprile a luglio le vittime furono quasi un milione di persone uccise a colpi di pistola di machete e di bastone chiodato (la maggior parte di questa armi furono venduto dal governo Cinese).

Questa è solo la reportistica fredda e numerica di un massacro di cui nessuno all’inizio volle occuparsi e di cui tutt’ora pochi parlano per la vergogna di non sapere o di non voler diffondere.

Diffondere una notizia è simbolo di libertà e di democrazia e in questa storia di libertà e di democrazia nessuno ne sa nulla.

Nel 2004 esce nelle sale cinematografiche il film Hotel Rwanda il primo film sul genocidio ed è subito nomination agli Oscar (gli Stati Uniti vogliono premiare loro stessi per la loro assenza nel conflitto…mi piace vederla in questo modo.)

La serata di Ascanio ha aperto la mente a ricordi e a pensieri e ha voluto dare una mano a chi in Rwanda c’è ancora e vuole aiutare la causa.

La serata è stata organizzata con l’aiuto dell’associazione Progetto Rwanda, un’associazione umanitaria no profit che lavora in Rwanda dal 1997, al fine di promuovere e realizzare progetti di autosviluppo per gli orfani, gli adolescenti capifamiglia e le donne.

Vorrei chiudere con una frase di Ascanio che mi ha colpito particolarmente: La memoria è come le chiavi…se le perdi non puoi più entrare da nessuna parte.

I går satt jeg og mannen og så filmen Hotel Rwanda. Det er en av de verste og beste filmene jeg har sett. Verst fordi den er så utrolig trist på alle måter. Historien som fortelles er så grusom at det er vanskelig, om ikke umulig å tro at det har hendt i virkeligheten. Best fordi det viser enkeltmenneskers utrolige evne til å vise medmenneskelighet i en brutal verden. Historien viser at et menneske kan bety stor forskjell med sine handlinger.

Filmen handler om Paul Rusesabagina som arbeider som vert i et hotell. Midt under krigen tilbyr han hundrevis av flyktninger (både tutsier og hutuer) et oppholdssted på hotellet. Filmen bygger på Rusesabaginas bok An Ordinary Man.

VG nett skrev om filmen:

Basert på den virkelige historien om en samvittighetsfull mann som gjorde det resten av verden unnlot: å gripe inn og redde liv under folkemordet i Rwanda.

Filmen «Hotel Rwanda» er som en kniv i samvittigheten til en samlet, vestlig verden, som i 1994 lot folkemordet i Rwanda få utspille seg uten inngripen. I stedet for å stoppe galskapen ble FN-styrkene beordret ut. Etter hundre dager lå én million maltrakterte lik igjen i gater og på veier, på jorder og i grøftekanter.

Hotellmannen Paul Rusesabagina var hutu, og kunne ha reddet seg selv da hutuopprøret utartet til massakre og folkemord i 1994. Men hans kone og hennes familie var tutsier. Som hotellmann var han vel bevandret i diplomatiets og de gjensidige gavers og tjenesters kunst. Det var kunnskaper han brukte til siste, dyrebare dollar og whiskydråpe da han med ett befant seg som bestyrer av den fredede oase Les Mille Collines – hotellet som han i en kombinasjon av mot og desperasjon omgjorde til ly for vettskremte, forfulgte mennesker av alle raser og aldrer.

Denne filmen er så viktig å se. Den minner oss om at det finnes mennesker i verden i dag som lever under forferdelige forhold. Det finnes barn som ikke har foreldre. Det finnes kvinner som blir voldtatt. Det finnes barn som blir opplært til å drepe. Det finnes mennesker som sulter.

Jeg får så lyst til å gjøre noe, men vet ikke hva!

Samtidig vet jeg at jeg snart glemmer. Det er nettopp det som er det tragiske!

The Aviator, deservedly nominated for Best Picture, and in my opinion, a much better film than the winner that year, Million Dollar Baby.  This is a film about Howard Hughes and in particular his love for aviation. The film begins in Hughes “directing” era when he is making Hells Angels. While in production of his film Hughes is constantly pushing the boundaries of aviation and eventually buys TWA and challenges Pan Am’s monopoly on international flights. Of course the Hercules…more commonly known as the Spruce Goose…is included in the film as well as the congressional hearings and Hughes eventual demise due to his obsessive compulsive disorder.

This movie has a stellar cast highlighted by Leonardo DiCaprio’s (Titanic, Gangs of New York) portrayal of Mr. Hughes. DiCaprio is wonderful at having an attitude about not caring about money, when ever there is a problem, his solution is to “buy” it or hire someone to fix it. For example hiring Professor Fitz, played by Ian Holm (Lord of the Rings), to monitor clouds for in teh background in the movie  Hells Angels. DiCaprio is also great in slowly introducing the obsessive compulsive side of Howard Hughes. From being paranoid about washing his hands to the extreme side when he has locked himself in a room, totally naked, trying to avoid any type of germ. Personally, I thought Leonardo DiCaprio could have won an Oscar for this role. I though both he and Don Cheadle (nominated for Hotel Rwanda) were better than Jamie Foxx in Ray, but we all have our opinions.

The other outstanding performance, which did result in an Oscar, was Cate Blanchett (Elizabeth) playing Katherine Hepburn. She was incredible with her accent and the way she carried herself in general. As I mentioned this film has a great cast, and many very nice performances…..Alan Alda (MASH) was nominated as best supporting actor for his role as Senator Brewster, Alec Baldwin (Beetlejuice) as Juan Trippe, and even a small role for Jude Law (The Talented Mr Ripley) playing actor Errol Flynn.

Behind the camera is Martin Scorsese (Best Director The Departed), and usually what ever he is involved with turns out nothing less than great. Again, another Oscar could have been won here as I thought for directing, he did a much better job and took more risks than Clint Eastwood for Million Dollar Baby. (Although I never mind seeing Clint Eastwood win anything, he has become an American icon.) For instance, look at the first hour of the Aviator, there are no greens in the movie to reflect a look and tone of the time. No your TV does not need adjusting, even the green peas on the plate are blue. The Aviator with it’s grand scale and top notch cast needed a great director like Martin Scorsese, as where I believe there are a handful of directors that could have done Million Dollar Baby.

As much as I have mentioned the word Oscar here, it did take home 5 Oscars and deservedly so. If you have not seen this film, this is really a great movie and worth watching. It will give you an appreciation of what Howard Hughes did for the field of aviation and the airline industry. At least see this once.

Publisher: First Second

Paperback: 96 pages

Sometimes looking at an atrocity through the eyes of one person can be more powerful than a panoramic of events. This, unfortunately, is not it. In Deogratias, Stassen tries to give an insightful take on the Rwandan genocide through the medium of comics.

Rwanda. If you were to say that to a cross-selection of people, I’m pretty certain that many of them would not be able to tell you anything about what happened. The rest, perhaps, would be ashamed. There have been many books and films on the subject but it’s still, I don’t think, widely known or, at least, people don’t know about it in much detail. It’s a slur on Western society that we have to be keep reminded to “Never Forget”.

The comic is from the perspective of a Hutu boy named Deogratias, the comics going back and forth between the beginnings of the genocide to the aftermath. We see life through a typical teenage boy; being a bit rebellious, flirting with girls and drinking banana beer. Juxtapose this with the aftermath and we see Deogratias, in a tattered shirt, addicted to urwagwa (banana beer) and mad. However, the past wasn’t all teenage high-jinks, as Stassen keeps reminding us of the volatile situation at the time by showing us snippets of the radio. The radio stations, at the time, were full of anti-Tutsi messages filled with violence and hate. They would often use the infamous term ‘cockroach’ to describe the Tutsi.

Deogratias is not the greatest book on the subject matter; it’s too short and too focused on one person and therefore does not show the complexity of the situation. If you know anything, about what happened then it will be too slight. The story is shocking but only because the events were shocking. Stassen does a commendable job in trying to portray the events in a medium that is so often looked down upon.

The artwork is worth mentioning, I’ve never read anything by Stassen before but I was impressed by his artwork. The story is drawn in a semi-realistic way, the backgrounds and characters are detailed and rendered expertly, the lighting is quite often dark; panels are often lit as if by twilight.

I think this comic would be a great introduction for schoolchildren as you’re given some background knowledge at the beginning, and the story highlights some of what happened.

Further Reading:

If you want to know about what happened in Rwanda, and you really should then I would recommend the following:

Shake Hands with the Devil by Romeo Dallaire. It is about Dallaire time as commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. Dallaire pleaded for just three battalions to save people’s lives but he received nothing. As Alexi Siegel (translator) in the introduction for Deogratias writes

As the world watched the shocking images of the genocide filtering out of Rwanda, the countries most able to stop it outdid one another in finding excuses to do nothing, including, famously, avoiding the use of the G-word. Intervention by the international community was limited to evacuating foreigners, and General Dallaire’s pleas for reinforcements and a different mandate were stubbornly ignored.

The film based on the book is also recommended and so is the documentary Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire

Shooting Dogs

Sometimes in April

Hotel Rwanda both the film and the autobiography, An Ordinary Man, about Paul Rusesabagina.

I’ll leave you with some choice words from Sigel from the introduction:

the commemoration in 2004 of the ten-year anniversary of the genocide took place as the crisis in the Sudanese region of Darfur raged and was met by internation inertia, which gave a hollow ring to the familiar declarations of “never again”. [...] it is only through deep, heartfelt understanding that we can hope to overcome-within ourselves, first-the false divisions that have brought such horrors into the world. And find reasons to hope.