Rusesabagina inspires Mead crowd

Author: Derek Schlickeisen

Humanitarian hero Paul Rusesabagina launched the College's convocation series Saturday night with an address at Mead Chapel on his role in saving more than 1,200 refugees during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The talk, entitled "Hotel Rwanda: A Story Yet To Be Learned," moved some in the audience to tears as Rusesabagina described in vivid detail the three-month ordeal that he and those who sought his help endured.

"Right now, I ask that all of you take a moment and look around this chapel," Tim Spears, dean of the College, asked the crowd while introducing Rusesabagina. "Now imagine that outside this chapel there is an angry mob. These people are screaming hateful things and want to kill you because you are different than they are. Only one man can protect you from this fate."

Paul Rusesabagina, by his own account an "ordinary man living an ordinary life," was general manager of the Mille Collines hotel in Kigali, Rwanda when the assassination of the country's president shattered a peace accord between rival Hutu and Tutsi tribes. Rusesabagina recalled the shock of that day by evoking Americans' reaction to the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"I can ask any one of you where he or she was on September 11," he told the audience. "Each and every one remembers where he or she was. That day, I also remember where I was and what followed."

Rusesabagina survived an ethnic bloodbath that would claim more than 800,000 lives in 100 days. While Hutu militiamen roamed the capital killing at will, Rusesabagina sheltered Tutsi refugees in his hotel with his charm and persuasive style.

"I took what I call my black binder, where I used to have a lot of phone numbers, and started calling all the generals I knew in the country," said Rusesabagina. "In life, I believe in the power of words. With words, you can kill, but with words, you can also civilize. The most important thing at that time was to open my mouth and open up a dialogue."

Throughout the address, Rusesabagina emphasized his lesson on the importance of communication by recalling instances in which his diplomatic style overcame the likelihood of violence. One day early in the conflict, an officer with the Hutu-controlled army threatened a family with a small child staying at the hotel.

"I pointed out that baby and said, 'Sir, are you sure that the enemy you are fighting is this young baby?'" Rusesabagina recalled. "This baby does not know anything of what we are talking about." For Rusesabagina, however, the ordeal was made doubly painful by the personal connections he felt with the refugees - and with their would-be killers.

"Many of those guys, we knew them, and they knew us," he said of the Hutu militia leaders. "We had been staying in that neighborhood for seven years. We almost knew each and every one."

A sizable audience from both the College and the town of Middlebury turned out to hear Rusesabagina's story - so large a crowd, in fact, that students were turned away from even the satellite video feed viewing location in McCardell Bicentennial Hall. When asked if he considered the event a successful kick-off to the convocation series, Spears cited the overflow crowd as a good sign.

"I think the community answered this question by turning out in large numbers for this event," he said. "Paul Rusesabagina's commitment to addressing the genocide problem in Africa struck a chord, I think, with many students at Middlebury≠ - students who are looking to improve the world."

Quinn Mecham, assistant professor of Political Science, echoed Spears' sentiments on the inspirational nature of the convocation lecture.

"[The] talk highlighted the remarkable personal trauma caused by civil conflict," said Mecham, "but also demonstrated how individuals can rise above it to find constructive solutions."

Faculty members and College administrators were also moved by the lecture's call to action to change the world.

"I think it is not often in our lives that we can be in the presence of a genunine hero," said Dean of Student Affairs Ann Hanson. " I was inspired by Paul Rusesabagina and I hope that his story can continue to inspire all of us to take action to support our beliefs and values."

During the question and answer section of his talk, Rusesabagina discussed the role foreign nations and the United Nations might have played in stopping the Rwandan genocide, as well as arguing for the increased role of these institutions in preventing and interceding in civil conflicts. Some saw lessons from the Rwandan conflict that international bodies should understand while dealing with the present conflict in Iraq.

"When we compare the lessons of Rwanda and Iraq, we see that foreign intervention can save lives," said Mecham, "but that it can have big, and not necessarily positive, consequences on a country's political development."

During the planning of the convocation series, President of the College Ronald D. Liebowitz stressed the Rusesabagina's lecture was in large part the result of student involvement in pushing for the Rwandan hero as a speaker for the kick-off event..

"Students brought forth the Rusesabagina idea during my office hours and I encouraged them to speak with Dean Spears," said Liebowitz. "I am delighted they had the persistence to see this event through, and I hope students will play a major role in advising who should be invited - who they think would be of interest to the community and, most importantly, would generate follow-up discussions that would involve a large segment of the campus."

Rusesabagina's lecture was only the first in a month-long mini-series on genocide that will include four more lectures and discussions. The next event, a presentation on the history of genocide by University of Vermont anthropologist Robert Gordon, will take place on March 8 at 12:15 p.m. in Dana Auditorium.

In discussing the future of the College's convocation series, Spears mentioned conservationist Jane Goodall and the Quebec-based Cirque du Soleil troupe to illustrate the range of events that are under consideration.