Spring Break
FAS starts with controversial speaker
Issue date: 2/7/08
Paul Rusesabagina spoke in front of a packed Shriver Hall Tuesday night, undeterred by protesters picketing the event. Rusesabagina, a hotel manager who sheltered refugees during the Rwandan genocide, was the keynote speaker of the 2008 Foreign Affairs Symposium, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Throughout the speech, a group of Rwandan men assembled near the steps of Shriver Hall, peacefully protesting against Rusesabagina.
The men passed out fliers denouncing Rusesabagina, in addition to spreading their message by word of mouth.
One such flier explained how Hotel Rwanda, the film inspired by Rusesabagina's life, is not a reality.
The protesters claimed Rusesabagina used the fame garnered him from the film Hotel Rwanda to "promote his revisionist and negationist theories in the U.S. and around the world," according to a pamphlet distributed by the group. Rusesabagina's alleged defense of the architects of the Rwandan genocide was another reason for the protest.
Despite these allegations, Rusesabagina has received international acclaim for his actions and humanitarian efforts, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In his speech entitled "Hotel Rwanda: A Lesson Not Learned," Rusesabagina emphasized the need for communication.
"I believe in the powers of words," Rusesabagina said. "With words you can save people, and with words you can kill people. In other words, words are the best and worst weapons of human beings."
Throughout his ordeal, this power through words has helped Rusesabagina develop agreements with oppressors on many occasions.
During one such event, when the militia commanded Rusesabagina to shoot the "cockroaches," or Tutsi refugees, he handled the situation by saying, "Myself, I do not know how to use guns. I was very honest. If you just give me that gun, I do not know how it works. After two hours of discussion, he let us go to the Diplomat Hotel. On that day, I was scared for the first time and the last time, but I had learned a lesson. I had learned how to deal with evil."
Throughout the speech, a group of Rwandan men assembled near the steps of Shriver Hall, peacefully protesting against Rusesabagina.
The men passed out fliers denouncing Rusesabagina, in addition to spreading their message by word of mouth.
One such flier explained how Hotel Rwanda, the film inspired by Rusesabagina's life, is not a reality.
The protesters claimed Rusesabagina used the fame garnered him from the film Hotel Rwanda to "promote his revisionist and negationist theories in the U.S. and around the world," according to a pamphlet distributed by the group. Rusesabagina's alleged defense of the architects of the Rwandan genocide was another reason for the protest.
Despite these allegations, Rusesabagina has received international acclaim for his actions and humanitarian efforts, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
In his speech entitled "Hotel Rwanda: A Lesson Not Learned," Rusesabagina emphasized the need for communication.
"I believe in the powers of words," Rusesabagina said. "With words you can save people, and with words you can kill people. In other words, words are the best and worst weapons of human beings."
Throughout his ordeal, this power through words has helped Rusesabagina develop agreements with oppressors on many occasions.
During one such event, when the militia commanded Rusesabagina to shoot the "cockroaches," or Tutsi refugees, he handled the situation by saying, "Myself, I do not know how to use guns. I was very honest. If you just give me that gun, I do not know how it works. After two hours of discussion, he let us go to the Diplomat Hotel. On that day, I was scared for the first time and the last time, but I had learned a lesson. I had learned how to deal with evil."
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posted 10/15/09 @ 10:06 AM EST
Very impressive story I should say.
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