Name:
The movie Hotel Rwanda raises quite a few questions about genocide and where the priorities of
our world lie. Please think about the following questions and answer each question in at least 3-5
sentences.
1. During the movie the UN general says to Paul, “We [the West] think you’re dirt, Paul.
You’re not even a nigger. You’re African.” What does he mean by this?
2. After the UN leaves the country, Paul emphasizes, “This is not a refugee camp. It is a fourstar hotel.” Why is this distinction so significant?
3. After the two men see the piles of bodies on the road, Paul instructs his companion to tell
no one what he saw. Why do you think Paul chose to do this?
4. A reporter in the movie asks, “How many acts of genocide does it take to make
genocide?” Who decides whether something is genocide? Do you think people are more
or less likely to call something genocide after the Holocaust? Why?
5. What role does the media play in preventing world atrocities (horrors)? Do you think the
media has a duty to report events such as these? Why or why not?
6. How do you think people are persuaded to commit this kind of discrimination or
extermination against another group of human beings? Are these people inherently evil
(in other words, were they always evil) or did the situation make them this way? Do you
think all people are capable of evil? Do you think all people are capable of goodness?
7. Paul instructs his wife to jump off the roof with all of the children, rather than die at the
hands of the Hutu army. Do you think jumping to one’s death would have been a better
option than the alternative? Why or why not?
8. Currently there are about 100,000 individuals suspected of committing acts of genocide
who are imprisoned in Rwanda. Considering the large number of people awaiting trial,
what is a reasonable punishment for these people? Do commanders/leaders of the
genocide have a greater responsibility than the individuals who carried out the orders?
9. Who would you have rather been – Hutu or Tutsi? It is true that Tutsis were being
exterminated, but Hutus were forced to discriminate against citizens of their own country.
Which would be worse?
10. Keeping in mind that the intent of this movie was to show you an example of genocide in
our world that has occurred in the last ten years, do you think it was a worthwhile movie?
I realize it’s probably not one you’d go to the theaters to see with your friends on a Friday
night, but did it help teach you about what happened in Rwanda?