Paul Rusesabagina facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Paul Rusesabagina
|
|
|---|---|
Rusesabagina in 2006
|
|
| Born | 15 June 1954 Murama, Kigali, Ruanda-Urundi
|
| Nationality | Rwandan |
| Citizenship | Belgium |
| Alma mater | Kenya Utalii College |
| Political party | PDR-Ihumure, Movement for Democratic Change |
| Spouse(s) |
Tatiana Rusesabagina
(m. 1989) |
| Awards |
|
Paul Rusesabagina (born 15 June 1954) is a Rwandan human rights activist. He became famous for saving over 1,200 people during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. At that time, he was the manager of the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali. He sheltered both Hutu and Tutsi people who were trying to escape the violence. None of the people he protected at the hotel were harmed.
His brave actions were later shown in the 2004 film Hotel Rwanda, where actor Don Cheadle played him. After the film, Rusesabagina became a public speaker. He spoke at universities in the United States and founded the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation in 2006. He has Belgian citizenship and lives in Brussels, Belgium, and San Antonio, Texas. Since 1996, he has been a strong critic of the Rwandan government.
In 2020, Rusesabagina was arrested in Kigali on terrorism-related charges. He was found guilty in 2021 and sentenced to 25 years in prison. However, in 2023, the Rwandan president reduced his sentence, and he was released.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Paul Rusesabagina was born in 1954. He was one of nine children. His father was a Hutu, and his mother was a Tutsi. They lived in Murama, Rwanda. Even though his family was not rich, he described his childhood as "solidly middle class" for Africa in the 1950s.
His parents sent him to a school run by the Seventh-day Adventist Church near Gitwe. By the time he was 13, he could speak English and French, along with his native Kinyarwanda.
Paul married Esther Bamurage and had three children: Diane, Lys, and Roger. They later separated in 1981, and Paul raised their children. In 1987, he met Tatiana, a nurse, and they married two years later. Tatiana adopted his children, and they later had a son named Trésor.
Career in Hotels
Paul first thought about becoming a minister and studied theology. But he soon decided he wanted to live an "urban life" instead.
In 1978, he moved to Kigali. He got a job at the Hôtel des Mille Collines. He was sent to Nairobi, then to Switzerland and Brussels, to study hotel management. As he became more successful at the hotel, some people called him 'muzungu', a Kinyarwandan word for 'white man'. In 1992, he became the assistant general manager of the Diplomates Hotel, which was connected to the Hôtel des Mille Collines.
The Rwandan Genocide
What Happened in 1994
Before 1994, the Hutu-led government in Rwanda was fighting the Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). A ceasefire was agreed upon in 1993, but there were still reports of groups gathering weapons and making lists of Tutsi people. Radio stations, like Radio Télévision Libre des Milles Collines (RTLM), were broadcasting messages that encouraged violence against Tutsis.
On 6 April 1994, a plane carrying the Rwandan President, Juvénal Habyarimana, was shot down. Everyone on board died. Extremists in the government blamed the Tutsi people for this event. This quickly led to the start of the Rwandan genocide on 6 April 1994. Groups like the Interahamwe militia began to search for and kill Tutsis and those who supported them. Paul Rusesabagina's father was Hutu and his mother was Tutsi, so his family was in great danger.
Saving Lives at the Hotel
When the violence began, soldiers came to Paul's house. He used money from the hotel safe to bribe them, so his family could be safe. When the government left the Diplomates Hotel, Paul went to the Hôtel des Mille Collines. He quickly contacted the hotel's owners and asked to be put in charge. He became the acting general manager.
Paul Rusesabagina sheltered about 1,200 people at the Hôtel des Mille Collines during the genocide. A radio reporter who was there said that no one was killed or hurt at the hotel. Paul managed to save many lives when others were being killed.
Family's Experience
On 3 May, Paul made sure his wife and children left safely in a truck. They tried to go to Kigali airport to fly to Belgium. However, they were targeted by radio messages and had to return to the hotel after being attacked.
Tatiana's family suffered greatly. Her mother, brother, sister-in-law, and four nieces and nephews died in the genocide. Her father even paid soldiers to shoot him, so he would not suffer a more painful death. By the end of the genocide, only four of Paul's eight siblings were still alive. He said that for a Rwandan family, this was "a comparatively lucky outcome."
After the Genocide
After staying in Rwanda for two more years, Paul Rusesabagina moved to Brussels with his wife, children, and two nieces in 1996. He feared for his life. He worked as a taxi driver there. Later, they moved to San Antonio, Texas.
The Film Hotel Rwanda
In 1999, Paul was contacted by an American screenwriter named Keir Pearson. Pearson and Terry George wrote the script for Hotel Rwanda with Paul's help. The film, starring Don Cheadle as Paul, was released in 2004. It was very popular and received three Academy Award nominations, including for Best Original Screenplay and Best Actor for Don Cheadle.
Some people, like Odette Nyiramilimo, a survivor who became a senator, defended Paul against critics. She said she never saw him threaten to make people leave the hotel if they didn't pay.
Awards and Speaking
Paul Rusesabagina received many awards for his actions. In 2005, President George W. Bush gave him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. This is the highest award a civilian can receive in the United States.
After the success of Hotel Rwanda, Paul became famous worldwide. He started a career as a public speaker, giving talks at schools, universities, churches, and businesses. He said he would talk about his experiences from 1994 to "whoever wants to invite me."
Politics
In 2006, Paul founded a political party called The Party for Democracy in Rwanda: PDR-Ihumure. This party's main goal was to bring change to Rwanda. Most of its members are Hutu and live outside Rwanda, especially in Belgium and the United States. In 2016, Paul announced he wanted to run for President of Rwanda.
Paul Rusesabagina has denied claims that he helped the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), a rebel group. He said he sent no money to terrorists and that the accusations were "pure and simple fabrication."
The FLN is the armed group connected to Paul Rusesabagina's political parties. This group was accused of attacks in South-West Rwanda in 2018. Paul admitted he founded the FLN as an "armed wing," but not as a "terrorist group." He said his role was "diplomacy" and denied doing anything wrong. He stated in a video that "The time has come for us to use any means possible to bring about change in Rwanda."
Arrest and Trial
Kidnapping and Charges
Paul Rusesabagina, who is a permanent resident of the United States, had not lived in Rwanda since 1996. In 2020, he went on a trip to Dubai. He believed he was taking a private plane to Burundi to give a speech. Instead, the plane took him to Kigali, Rwanda. The Rwandan Minister of Justice later admitted that the Rwandan government paid for this private jet.
On 31 August 2020, Rusesabagina was arrested in Kigali. He was charged with terrorism, arson, kidnap, and "murder" related to attacks in 2018 that killed at least nine people, including two children.
The Trial
Paul Rusesabagina's trial began on 17 February 2021, along with 20 other people. He told the court that he was not a Rwandan citizen, so he should not be tried in Rwanda. Another person on trial, Callixte Nsabimana, was surprised by this, saying Paul wanted to be president of Rwanda.
Paul later decided not to take part in the court process anymore. He felt that he would not get a fair trial and that his rights were not being respected. The judge decided the trial would continue without him.
On 20 September 2021, Paul was found guilty of terrorism-related charges. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison. Human rights groups said they believed the charges were politically motivated because Paul had criticized the Rwandan president, Paul Kagame. In 2023, after serving two years, his sentence was reduced by the Rwandan president, and he was released.
Awards Received
- 2000 – Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity
- 2005 – Wallenberg Medal of the University of Michigan
- 2005 – National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award
- 2005 – Presidential Medal of Freedom
- 2005 – Conrad N. Hilton Foundation Humanitarian Award
- 2007 – Honorary Doctorate of Law from the University of Guelph
- 2008 – Honorary Degree from Gustavus Adolphus College
- 2009 – Honorary Degree from Loyola University Chicago
- 2011 – Tom Lantos Human Rights Prize from the Lantos Foundation for Human Rights and Justice
Media
Books
Paul Rusesabagina's story was first told in Philip Gourevitch's book We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families (1998).
His own autobiography, An Ordinary Man, was published in 2006. Other books have also been written about him, some of which are critical of his story. In 2023, his adoptive daughter, Yvonne Uwera, published a book about her efforts to free him, called RESCUING THE HERO: A Daughter's Quest to Free The Hotel Rwanda Legend.
Film
The 2004 movie Hotel Rwanda tells the story of Paul Rusesabagina's actions during the genocide. Don Cheadle played Paul in the film. Cheadle's acting was highly praised, and he was nominated for several awards, including the Academy Award for Best Actor.
See also
- Hotel Rwanda
- Rwandan genocide
- Mbaye Diagne
- Roméo Dallaire
