Hotel Rwanda

Did you see the movie 'Hotel Rwanda'? It was released in 2004 and tells the story of the Hôtel des Mille Collines (the Hotel of the 1000 hills)  in Kigali where over 1200 Tutsi men, women and children were saved during the Rwandan Genocide.

The hero of the movie is Paul Rusesabagina who worked tirelessly, putting his own life at risk, to save the people who had sought refuge in his hotel.  One of the actual refuges in the hotel said, "Nobody had been killed, injured, beaten, expelled or retrieved from the hotel during the whole time we were there. Paul managed to do the impossible to save our lives at the moment when others were massacring their own children, their own wives."

The movie has generated both critical acclaim and criticism in Rwanda.  Some say that he extorted money from the people he saved and others say that since the genocide he has been involved in terrorism.  I don't know what is the truth but he is in prison in Rwanda right now.  Possibly this happened because of his opposition to the political leadership in Rwanda but I do know that he was at least part of the reason that over 1200 people were saved.  

On our last day in Rwanda we spent the afternoon at this hotel while waiting to go to the airport.  

It's beautiful...definitely a 4 star hotel.

FYI - the movie was not filmed at this hotel but in South Africa.

We enjoyed a really nice lunch.

And I even had a massage in this little hut.  Very nice before facing the LONG plane trip home!

You can even relax in their gorilla room!

I have a hard time picturing what it must have been like during those 100 days in 1994 - 7 April to 15 July when death was all around them.