Monday's talk with "Hotel Rwanda"'s Paul Rusesabagina

At least a little bit of history was probably made in Portland tonight...

Paul Rusesabagina whose story was the basis for the Oscar-nominated film that we saw in class, Hotel Rwanda, came to USM's Hannaford Lecture Hall in Portland to speak on genocide and indifference... The auditorium seats 512 people. The campus policeman with whom I spoke afterward estimated that over 1200 had actually showed up!

"Standing room only" was an understatement. Their overflow rooms, where they piped in simultaneous video, were also overflowing. Understandably, some folks headed back to campus. Since we were already there and live in Portland, Andrea and I decided to stay, as did a carload of Honors Capstone students. (And I'd be really interested to get their reactions to the talk as comments to this post!!)

It's almost a crime to try to summarize all of what he had to say... but - for the sake of those who couldn't stay - I thought I'd try...

Firstly, the movie was apparently fairly accurate in depicting the details of their terrible experience. But there's just something about hearing it in graphic detail in the first person, from someone who actually saw firsthand what had even been too unimaginably horrific to show on film... Knowing that he saw things that no one should ever see, not even in their worst possible nightmares...

But, interestingly, Paul Rusesabagina didn't leave Rwanda when the 1200+ people were evacuated from the hotel and spirited to freedom. He actually remained in the country for two more years, until an assassination attempt finally convinced him to accept exile. That in itself must be an amazing story which remains to be told.

His closing words were both a haunting accusation and a challenge. He mentioned that he's heard Western leaders speak about the Holocaust, and repeat over and over and over, "Never again!" Never have two words been more horribly abused, he said, since genocides have not ceased. Right now in Sudan's Darfur region, an estimated 10 to 15,000 people are dying every month, and - even more atrocious, but less well-known - an estimated 4 million people have been killed in the Congo... four times the million victims of Rwanda, or an average - Rusesabagina reported - of over an estimated 30,000 a day!

So - Rusesabagina challenges us - when we say "Never again!"... do we really mean it?? Are we going to permit modern genocides to continue, or are we going to try to stop them whenever and wherever they occur? It's a very good question posed by a man who deserves an answer... the right answer!

In the meantime, I just can't help but think that 1200 - the number of Mainers who overflowed the lecture hall to see Paul Rusesabagina - was the same number of people he was responsible for saving in Rwanda. Kinda puts what one single good human being can accomplish into perspective.

Those of you who were there... what did you think??