Zahra final FF

Hotel Rwanda 


Hello everyone
I chose Hotel Rwanda. Why..? Because to this very moment I cannot and will not understand how the world could turn a blind eye to what happened, and neither can I find a logical explanation. Moreover, I have met quite a lot of people who have heard nothing about the incident nor watched the movie. Although I am not going to write about the whole movie, this can give an idea of how hard it was on Paul Rusesabagina! For those who don’t know what this movie is about, it’s about the genocidal mass slaughter which tookplace inner 1994 in the East Africa sate of Rwanda, resulting in the deaths of over 800,000 Tutsi by the hand of the Hutu soldiers within approximately 100 days. The Human Rights Watch estimates that the number could be 1,000,000 or 20% of the country’s total population. I will write about Paul Rusesabagina’s narrative in which a heroic Hutu man who falls in love withthe Tutsi woman Tatiana. Despite having been deserted by international peacekeepers, he manages to help 1,268 by giving them refuge in Hotel des Mille Collines, where he worked as a manager. At the end of the movie Paul survived along with his wife and three children, as did most of the refugees he helped. He moved to Belgium where he lives now.

 
















When  Paul Rusesabagina woke up in the middle of the  night soaked in sweat, he walked to the kitchen with a heavy breath feeling his heart beating.  He closed his eyes, trying to breath normally and pour himself a glass of Scotch. He took a seat near the window gazing at the white snow, and as he held up his glass to drink, suddenly the smell of the scotch opened the door of  memory he had helplessly tried so hard to close since he moved to Belgium 13 years ago.  He tried to avoid drinking the  scotch but it seemed that the past won’t let him rest.  He took a sip and tried to swallow it as slowly as he could, when images flashed by of dead bodies, children crying, women screaming, men bleeding  and people helpless begging for their life. Amongst the things that he couldn't forget was the face of a beautiful, tall, toned woman almost the same height and of the same features as his wife Tatiana, and if he didn’t know better he would have sworn that they are twin. Her voice was begging  him to tell the truth. “Please Paul, tell them I am not your wife I’m not Tatiana please, for the love of God don’t let them kill me”. Her cries rips Paul heart but he chose to say  and do nothing ,nothing at all he abandoned her just like the world had abandoned Rwanda.  

Kill the cockroach ,said General Augustin Bizimungu . looking deep into Paul's eyes, his voice filled with hate and anger.

Solider:  Shut up you cockroach.  He threw her onto the ground, then started ripping  off  her
clothes. Let’s see what your traitor husband can do now.

Paul started to sweat, his body shaking.  How could he let them rape and kill her?!  Is saving his family a good reason enough to let an innocent woman get killed? What could he have done, there was no more Scotch to bribe them. He stands up and opens the cupboard, reaching for the scotch bottle.  Holding it in his hand thinking  how a liquid in a glass bottle could be the fine line between life and death. If he had had this bottle 13 years ago he could have saved her life. He pours anothesr glass and drinks it all in one sip till he felt the liquid burning his throat. Paul knew deep down that they would have killed her either way for just being a Tutsi, at least her death had saved his beloved wife. He felt so guilty, how could he have justified standing there doing nothing? He felt sad for not even knowing her name. Did she have a family, a husband or children, and are they still alive? How would he explain to them?  Would they forgive him? If this happens to Tatiana would he forgive?   His eyes filled with tears as he gets back to his chair, tears rolling down his cheeks. Bang! Bang! The soldier shot her.

Let him go, says the soldier to his partner. 

Soldier: Paul, remember she is just a cockroach and you must be grateful that we are kind enough to spare your life and your little cockroach children. If it was my decision, I would have killed you too for betraying your own people. Then he walked out of the room, leaving Paul standing there shaking like leaf. He stood there staring at her lifeless body, and it took him few minutes before he started to wrap her in a white sheet with the logo of the Hotel des Mille Collines. Feeling sick, he runs to the bathroom and locks himself inside. He can see his face in the mirror and the blood on his hands he washes it off. Still feeling weak and dizzy, he stood under the shower with his clothes on. I need to be strong for my family; for the people who are here and looking for my help. 

Tatiana: Paul … honey open the door please, let me in.

Paul in shaking voice : Give me a second love, I will be there.He puts on a clean suit with the hotel logo on it.

Paul: Where are the kids?

Tatiana: They are with the other kids, playing. Don’t worry, they heard  nothing. I am sorry you have to go through this "  She hugged  him, his body was still shaking.

We have to bury her, Paul says 

Tatiana: Yes love, we should give her a funeral, I am going to dress her up in my favourite blue dress that you bought for me the day we got engaged.

Paul: But you love that dress.

Tatiana: That is the least I can do for her, she lost her life because of me.

Paul: it's  not your fault.

Tatiana: We all are guilty; the whole world has her blood on their hands, how could they watch us dying?! If we had oil would it be different?

Paul: No point of this dear, we will make it, I will never let anything happen to you and the kids.
Tatiana: You’re right, let’s give her a funeral she deserves.
It was a sunny day with a blue sky ,birds singing. Tatiana made sure everyone got involved.
The children picked some flowers from the hotel garden. It was quite a nice ceremony.  He started to feel some peace at the thought of giving her a funeral. He heard footsteps it was his wife standing in front of him , Tatiana can see Paul face going pale  she put her hand on his shoulder and shake him gently.

Tatiana: Love it's me 

Paul: Please forgive me , oh lord what have I done ?  I killed you , I am a   murderer I am sorry. He breaks down in tears.

She start to cry shaking him as hard as she could , please Paul come back to me I am your wife Tatiana. 

He fell down on his knee sorry my dear I though you... 
I know says Tatiana holding him close . I wish I can take the pain way . Paul hold her hands, Oh dear love you can't it's a price I have to pay for the rest of my life he pour two  glasses of scotch, They sat there drinking trying to make peace with the past.