Hotel Rwanda

[Sapphire Blue]

Revisiting the Passion of the Christ
by Brian D. McLaren

An excerpt....


Maybe it's because I spent time last summer in Burundi, the poorer twin sister of Rwanda that shares a similar history, tribal makeup, geography, culture, and terrifying undercurrent of genocide. Maybe it's because while I was there, I met Anglican priests serving in Rwanda who told personal stories of the tragedies there - and their efforts to bring healing and reconciliation in the aftermath. Maybe it's because (some readers may be tempted to write me off after reading this sentence) I was so frustrated by last year's promotional hype surrounding Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ - and I was so frustrated by the movie itself, though I know many found it moving and spiritually edifying. Maybe it's because I have deep concerns about the alignment of major sectors of Christianity with "red-state Republicanism," and I worry that a kind of modernist, nationalist neo-fundamentalism is trying to claim all Christian territory as its sovereign domain.

For whatever reason, when I walked out of the 2005 film Hotel Rwanda this thought wouldn't leave me: If we really had the mind and heart of Christ, this is the movie we would be urging people in our churches to see. In fact, I can't think of a more worthwhile experience for Christian leaders than to watch Hotel Rwanda and then ask themselves questions like these:

Which film would Jesus most want us to see, and why?

Why did so many churches urge people to see Gibson's film, and why did so few (if any?) promote Terry George's film? What do our answers to that question say about us?

What were the practical outcomes of millions of people seeing Gibson's film? And what outcomes might occur if equal numbers saw Hotel Rwanda - as an act of Christian faithfulness?

In what sense could Hotel Rwanda actually be titled The Passion of the Christ?

What do we make of the fact that a high percentage of Rwandans who participated in the 1994 genocides were churchgoers?

What do we make of the fact that a high percentage of the Americans who ignored the 1994 genocides (then and now) were and are churchgoers?

What kind of repentance does each film evoke in Western Christians? Why might the kind of repentance evoked by Hotel Rwanda be especially needed during these important days in history?

http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=news.display_archives&mode=current_opinion&article=CO_050209_mclaren

[Charlie Brown]

1. I'm not sure if criticizing people for "not" seeing the film is fair

POTC was promoted to death by Christian Media outlets and various figures of the Evangelical community. There were all kinds of product-tie-ins and "get out the hype" messages from broadcastors. Church pastors across the country were buying tickets in advance and reserving whole theaters for their congregations.

Hotel Rwanda can't compete with this kind of exposure. It's not the fault of people who went to see POTC.

How do you know church-goers "ignored" the genocides in '94. There are religious affiliated aid programs that Christians contribute to.

I know it's customary to condemn the US for its inaction in '94, but what was the answer? To send US troops?

We have a similar situation in Sudan today. Is intervening the answer there, too? What if our presence makes things worse the way it has in Iraq?

[gottaB]

2. McLaren wasn't criticizing the flock, but the shepherds

That's my reading.

[robcon]

3. I've seen both movies.

They were both terrific movies and very inspiring.

[Divernan]

4. Hotel Rwanda is a powerful, educational film which every DUer should see.

And every US church which claims any involvement in aid to Africa should promote the film to its members, if not actually sponsor showings at its services. Although I had read/heard brief news accounts of the genocides and the numbers killed, I did not have the visceral response which this film gave me.

I did not see The Passion of Christ - from the reviews of it I viewed it as a theological snuff film - and I expected Mel Gibson's personal extreme religious views would dominate his interpretation.

I am not saying it is the responsibility of the US to intervene directly in such political situations. But I would support giving the United Nations the power, funding and personnel to intervene in more than a "peace keeping" capacity; including trying the genocidal leaders in the International Court of Justice.

[reorg]

5. Second thoughts about Hotel Rwanda

While I agree that it is not a bad movie, and may incite people to read up on what actually took place (rather than just swallow the Hollywood story line, happy ending and all, hook line and sinker) - my very bad feelings about the press coverage at the time were only reinforced by the movie and are quite well summarized in this Counterpunch article (the following quote is just the conclusion, I strongly recommend reading the entire article which is quite interesting):


>> ...

Moreover, those who, like most of the movie critics, have been smitten by the two films about Rwanda now showing, "Hotel Rwanda" and the documentary "Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Romeo Dallaire" should read, or reread, two important books that help put it all in perspective. The first one, to help come to grips with the wild imaginings about the devil and his cold hands, is Black Skin, White Masks (1952) by the great anti-colonialist writer and psychiatrist Frantz Fanon. The following excerpt is particularly relevant: "In Europe, Evil is represented by the Black man. The hangman is black, Satan is black, people talk of darkness, and when one is dirty, he is black ­ be it physical or to moral dirt. People would be surprised to see the very large number of expressions, if they were all recorded where the Black man is equated to sin."

The second book, "The Africa that Never Was" (1970) is the product of a comprehensive study of mainly British literature on Africa from 1560 to 1960. The authors, Hammond and Jablow, identify a set of conventions, metaphors and images that pervade the literature ­ and cinema ­ that together were developed during, and helped to legitimize, slavery and colonialism. Together they offer a fantasy vision of a continent and a people that never existed and never could exist. The authors show for example, that unlike for the tales about bloody wars in Europe, nobody in the literature on Africa finds, or attempts to find, social, economic, political, international or institutional reasons for the wars. Based on the literature, people just seem to like killing each other in Africa.

It is sad to see that these colonialist views pervade modern literature and film about Africa and especially Rwanda.

<<

Second Thoughts on the Hotel Rwanda
Boutros-Ghali: a CIA Role in the 1994 Assassination of Rwanda's President Habyarimana?

By ROBIN PHILPOT

http://www.counterpunch.com/philpot02262005.html

[mattclearing]

6. Maybe if they called it Hotel Jesus

And had it being about a hotel where a white Jesus allows sinners to seek refuge in his hotel, promising forgiveness for their transgressions, then people would have been more interested.

But a real-life story about how we as a western, "civilized" world, totally ignored the genocide of a million people?

A movie about black people killing each other while oblivious whites drink their tea and flip to the sports page?

Shit, we have that here in DC. No one wants to hear it now either.

So yeah, you are right, but people haven't changed. You can shame us after the fact, but it won't help the people who have fallen.