No matter where you are from, all of us must put aside our differences today and honor two of the bravest people in this world. Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina, a married couple, lived through the Rwandan Genocide in 1994, an unthinkable time in which two tribes in Africa, the Hutu and the Tutsi, clashed and resulted in the mass murder of the Tutsi as well as some Hutu. Paul, a Hutu, and his wife, Tatiana, a Tutsi, opened their hotel, Hôtel des Mille Collines, for many refugees. Their acts of bravery are truly admirable to all of us, and today it is our duty to honor them!
Paul and Tatiana are like many of you and me, average people who have a loving family and work diligently each day. When the Rwandan Genocide occurred, Paul and Tatiana seemed divided to the outsiders; Paul as a Hutu and Tatiana as a Tutsi seemed problematic to many as the conflict between these two tribes increased. However, the couple kept their love strong and worked together despite the war between their respective tribes.
Paul’s hotel capacity was originally about 500 people, and during the Genocide, he welcomed nearly 1300 people into his hotel. Strategically, Paul diverted the Hutu soldiers by claiming that he was just hosting regular people in his hotel and billing them, when in fact he was hiding refuges and not collecting any money at all! Of course, Paul risked his own life to shelter these refuges and also risked the protection of his family by lying to the soldiers, but his courageous heart overcame any fears of danger. On more than one occasion, Paul gave away his money and personal objects such as an expensive wristwatch to soldiers in return for saving the innocent people around him. Paul’s ability to maintain calm on the surface and use any uneasy emotions as fuel to save so many people is truly admirable, and is something that all of us should aspire to do.
Tatiana Rusesabagina also showed amazing fortitude and fearlessness during the Rwanadan Genocide. Tatiana never gave up on finding her nieces after her brother and his wife died in the raids. Once the family was safe behind Tutsi rebel lines, Tatiana searched through hundreds of missing childrens' photos for her two beloved nieces. Although she felt panicked, she maintained her strength and searched the photos scrupulously. Tatiana did not give up hope that her nieces were alive and was willing to do anything to find them, a true aspect of perseverance and heroism! Finally, Tatiana successfully found her nieces and the joy expressed upon finding them is tear-jerking because Tatiana’s determination finally paid off.
The pure strength that Paul and Tatiana Rusesabagina had throughout 1994 in the Rwandan Genoicde is truly remarkable. The couple endured many painful experiences, such as feeling the dead bodies beneath the wheels of their car and seeing their neighbors be attacked. However, the couple had a strong will to survive and get not only their family, but also as many refuges as possible, to safety. Paul opened his hotel to greater than double the amount of people that the hotel could hold in order to save innocent lives, in addition to giving away his personal objects and money. He had to lie to the Hutu extremists and did not collect any money or prizes for his work. Tatiana protected her family and searched endlessly until she found her nieces, a true act of courage. Without a doubt, this average, humble couple proves that anyone is capable of making a difference in times of hardship, and their loyalty to their love for one another and their love for helping others is astonishing! Their accomplishments will be forever honored, and their acts of gallantry are something that we should all strive to achieve.
