Paul Rusesabagina, the hotel manager portrayed in the film "Hotel Rwanda" who sheltered more than 1,000 refugees during the Rwandan genocide, spoke to a packed Page Auditorium Wednesday night for the 2007 Crown Lecture in Ethics.
A self-proclaimed "ordinary man," Rusesabagina recounted his experience as the temporary manager of the Hotel des Milles Collines in Kigali, Rwanda in 1994 when Rwanda fell into civil war and genocide engulfed the country from April to July.
Rusesabagina emphasized his role as a negotiator to the Hutu militias, who carried out the genocide, and the power of words to transform a situation.
"Whenever you face such people, the most important thing is to talk, to open the mouth," Rusesabagina said, referring to an encounter with murderous militiamen.
Rusesabagina discussed the history leading up to the Rwandan genocide and how the interplay of Belgian colonization and African politics set the stage for the events of 1994.
"Why do people hate each other? Simply because they have been taught to hate each other by leaders who always divide in order to rule," Rusesabagina said.
He added that the two Belgian-manipulated ethnic groups of Rwanda-the Hutus and Tutsis-had a history of animosity leading up to the genocide. But the massacres started when the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, both Hutus, were assassinated when their plane was shot down, Rusesabagina said.
"That was a beginning of a carnage, that was a beginning of an endless massacre," he said.
Rusesabagina opened the doors of the Milles Collines to refugees and negotiated with militia generals to protect the lives of the hotel's residents. He also appealed to national leaders and international organizations to help, but often to no avail.
"We had been saved, our lives had been saved because we had a weapon, a very strong weapon, the phone," Rusesabagina said. "With words you can kill, with words you can give life."
Rusesabagina added that life during the 100 days was very difficult. The hotel residents had to live with no electricity, no running water and little food. At times, they had to take water from the hotel's swimming pool just to survive, he said.
"The hotel was attacked many times, each and every day had its own troubles, each and every day had its own problems," he said.
After describing his experience during the Rwandan genocide, Rusesabagina said the lessons learned from Rwanda must never be forgotten. "For too long we have been bystanders. Today, I urge each and everyone to stand up and raise awareness," he said.
Many audience members said Rusesabagina's personal recollection of the Rwandan genocide was inspirational. "It was more personal [than I expected]," said Michael Carpenter, a Durham resident. "I felt like it had more of an effect to see how it motivated him through everything he's been through... and that in itself is motivation."
Since the Rwandan genocide, Rusesabagina has founded the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which provides financial assistance to Rwandan orphans and raises awareness for the conflict in Sudan. President George W. Bush awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2006.
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