Rwanda

Fear, hate, death, all things that covered Rwanda during the genocide in 1994. In a hundred days, an estimated 800,000 people were killed. This is what is being studied in our English class. We are looking at the effect media played in this whole atrocity. After looking through the sources that were given to us and doing some research of my own I came to several conclusions about effect of the media on the whole situation.
First, I feel that the media did not pressure world leaders into action. Media is often known for exaggerating the truth and the word "genocide" was not used early enough. Granted, if the UN and others had really wanted to stop the conflict they would have done something substantial and it wouldn't have gone on for as long as it did, however, as said by Paul Rusesabagina in the movie Hotel Rwanda, "We must shame them into sending help." I feel that the fault for the lack of support lies with both the media and the countries. I believe that had the media pushed leaders to take action, change could have occurred.
Second, the movie Hotel Rwanda is a strong movie. It is strong because it is able to convey its message without being too graphic. There is that instance of him falling in dead bodies and some wounded/dead people, but for the most part many of the killings are done off-screen. Honestly, I think that the movie is better for that. It doesn't take away from the message but rather adds to it in my opinion because is mirrors what people in the hotel would actually know. If they are not outside how can they see what is happening? Also as stated by Alex Ho on the making of Hotel Rwanda“When the film ventures outside into Kigali during the genocide, we tried to create this bizarre, surreal atmosphere, to let viewers feel the psychological terror of the genocide without going close on the slaughter. This is a powerful human drama, not a horror story, and we believe it is important that the widest possible audience should see it.” That feeling of insecurity and of not truly knowing if one was safe or not was part of the terror and emotional/mental tolls that the Rwandan genocide had on people. Although the media could have done more in Rwanda at the time of genocide, I really think that this movie makes people wish they could have done more. This is where the media really shines, when it inspires people and makes them question their actions.
Third, have we learned? Has the world and its people truly learned from their mistakes? I read several articles talking about how Rwanda is still in the process of being repaired and another regarding the responsibility of the world. While I was reading this, current issues such as Darfur and Tibet came into mind. Darfur, that conflict has been going on for a couple of years now, still unresolved. Tibet is getting some attention because of the Beijing 2008 Olympics, but still not enough. We must remember Rwanda and not let it just be a tragic incident, but rather have it be an inspiration to us, that we may no longer turn our heads to the tragedies.