The banality of Rwanda

The film, Hotel Rwanda, is discomfiting, but not for the reasons you might suppose going in.

by Junius

You want to know whether or not Hotel Rwanda will offend you in its treatment of genocide. I don't think it will. You will see portrayed in this film many things you would never want to see in real life, but the film doesn't make you cringe. You keep your eyes open, mesmerized by what Hannah Arendt once called the “banality of evil.” The film feels true and therefore you are not going to be offended by it. In any case, it's a film about courage, not about atrocities.

The discomfort arises from the issues the film raises, chiefly, the challenge of what to do about evil. How often are we faced with out-and-out evil? Not often, in the experience of most of us. Without practice, how would we react? The hero of this film lived his normal life in a culture of bribery, thus at a moment of crisis he knew something about how to manipulate bullies in order to achieve good. Most of us would be totally incompetent in a situation where courage and cunning are required.

A question: who's number would you dial if you had to ask for political pressure to save a bad situation? Have you participated in political life so that you have friends who know you and trust you and would respond to a call for help?

Giving to charity presents another problem for most of us. If we can't follow our charitable dollar and see how it is used, we are uneasy. One thing this film reassures me of is that the Red Cross is going to be where there is human need, facing the banality of evil with a cold stare, and therefore it is a worthy conduit for a charitable contribution.

I am a member of the United Nations Association in Canada. After seeing this film, you might want to be too. They can be reached at 604-732-0448.

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