Some days ago, I was opportuned again to watch that heart-touching film directed by Terry George titled: Hotel Rwanda. My eyes was filling with tears not more than 20 minutes into the film till the end of it; and frankly I am at a loss for words. It was a masterpiece; nothing short of a powerful rendition of a true and heroic story.I can't help representing what happened in the movie here with the present state of our nation, Nigeria.
Hotel Rwanda portrays hero who fought genocide.
Rwanda, during this period was a nation of about six million people, with 85 percent of them being Hutu while the remaining 15 percent are Tutsi. These two groups speak the same language and share the same cultural identity.
According to the film, conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis can be traced back to European colonialism; when Belgian rulers regarded the tall and thin Tutsis as being superior to the short and stocky Hutus; and thus favoured the Tutsis for all positions of power.
Resentment among Hutus gradually built up. At Rwanda's independence in 1962, a Hutu dictatorship took over and further polarized the ethnic state, blaming Tutsis for every crisis.
The genocide was ignited by the death of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, when his
plane was shot down above the Kigali Airport on April 6, 1994.
Hutu extremist politicians blamed
Tutsi rebels for shooting down the plane. Within hours, the streets filled with Hutu militia known as the Interahamwe, or "those who work
together." Spurred on by furious calls for blood by a local radio station, they first killed the Tutsi business and political elites, then turned to ordinary
Tutsi citizens.
In weeks the slaughter had spread to much of the Rwandan countryside. Local officials ordered Hutu peasants to kill their Tutsi neighbors. Those Hutus who refused were murdered themselves. At its peak, the genocide claimed 8,000 lives per day, a
rate far faster than the Holocaust.
Funny enough, with the numbers of people killed, maimed everyday in Rwanda, international community turned a blind eye by refusing to call the slaughter "genocide."
"In reality, the genocide in Rwanda was precisely planned and executed by
one of the most authoritarian states in Africa".
What a film. What a great and powerful rendition of truth and what a testimony of man's inhumanity to man.
I urge as many as possible to find the time to watch "Hotel Rwanda" and you'll know the reason why such shouldn't be a path for us in Nigeria to trek.
I cannot help asking what did black men ever do to deserve such wickedness, barbarity, sufferings and mindless torture in the hands of their brothers?
Thus, it behoves me as an individual to use the above historic event to speak up as things in the country appear to be going abysmally wrong. Keeping silent would amount to nothing but a repudiation of our beliefs in the potential of our country.
There are numerous reasons to worry, and they are indeed serious. The immediate one, however, is in connection with the looming elections. Never before in the history of this nation have political campaigns been so divisive. It would seem that nothing is considered sacred in the inordinate bid to secure votes; not even religion. Even in the halcyon days of the First Republic, there was respect for one’s choice of religion. Now, it appears, everything goes, and no slur is considered too derogatory to cast on a
political opponent.
Again, never before was there international involvement in our electoral process beyond foreigners accorded observer status. Now, the country’s elections have become a subject of foreign scrutiny; not as a model to be emulated by others but to forestall anticipated unsavoury occurrences.
As the threat of violence is palpable.
Groups are threatening fire and brimstone against rival parties, even in the event of such rivals winning fair and square, yet leaders of political parties and government look the other way; even in some cases, these so-called elder statesmen re-pronounced such threats by clandestine groups.
To be frank, with the constant threats of secession from disparate groups around the country, it seems to me that we are eager to bring to fruition the United States’ prediction more than a decade ago that the country would break up by 2015.
One thing I'm greatly assured of is the fact that our maker, the Almighty God did not put the Federal Republic of Nigeria together for the sake of serving the selfish interest of the Nigerian elite alone. Casualties and confusions here and there wasn't the reason for our emergence as a nation. Why then should we be like we are now?
In the course of this writing of mine, I was forced to remember Alaafin Aole of old Oyo empire, who could not believe his own kith would betray him. As Oral history portrays, while weeping profusely, he fired three arrows to three corners of the earth after which he pronounced; I quote:
"My curse be on you for disobedience, so let your children disobey you. If you send them on an errand let them not return to you with word again. To all the points a shot my arrow, you would be taken as slaves. My curse will take you to the seas and beyond. Slaves will rule over you, and you their masters will become their slaves"
Thereafter, he smashed an object believed to be an earthenware
dish; and further said;
"Broken calabash may be mended but not broken dish, so let my curse be irreversible".
So I wonder if no one whatsoever has placed such curse on our nation. I ask again, why then should we be like we are now?
As the most populous black country of many nations with their potentialities, let's not forget that the responsibility of Nigerians is not only to Nigeria but the entire black world. The Federal Republic of Nigeria is the bastion of the power of the black race.
For this reason, I'm begging, let's please, not destroy her and wreck the hope of the black race to restore their dignity and for peace in the world.
Worst still, our politicians and those in government are not working in the interest of the generality of the populace. When I say our politicians, I don't mean the PDPs alone but APCs inclusive. The truth is they seem only interested in the wealth accruing to them, at the expense of the needy whom they treat with impunity. They are not billed for amenities they use. Yet the poor are billed, ever increasingly, for electricity which is not provided them; they are not provided pipe-borne water in this modern age, yet those in government keep mouthing their achievements with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). And they keep appropriating to themselves accolades for work not done.
Sadly, most of them are educated –or should I say literate – and know the better situations that obtain in other climes, even in those less endowed with human and economic resources.
From history, I'm sure many of them know the conditions that precipitate revolutions. It hurts how easy it is for people to ignore what happens in a war thousands of miles away. Why do they think the long-suffering generality of Nigerians are docile and incapable of revolt.
Even when they are aware of the fact that the yawning disparity in wealth between the idle rich few and the hardworking but poor multitude is a potent recipe for insecurity. Yet they fail to introduce any social security programme to ameliorate the biting poverty.
On the promise of hell, I'll attribute it to the economic interests of the threatening sects. Government functionaries, both elected and appointed should reduce the bloated remuneration politicians now get; preach about love in their camps; reduce the absurdly-high fees demanded from applicants vying for office to enable service-oriented people participate in government and;
institute a social security scheme that would take care of the jobless, aged, disabled and indeed, all segments of the populace deserving of aid.
As the new date for elections keeps crawling in, many are resolving to spiritual/celestial aids right now for a peaceful election, but let's not forget that our collective efforts would be needed to avert the imminent conflagration and destruction ahead of us for the threats already pronounced.
And whilst we're preparing for a peaceful election, we can regain the lost pride of this nation, if and only if Nigerians can agree to live harmoniously with one another. No one will do it for us if we don't do it ourselves.
Finally, let me say God bless the producers and facilitators of 'Hotel Rwanda'; and my prayer is for God to put an end to whatever may lead to such genocide and destructions in our dear country, Nigeria.
Thanks!
SOURCE: Omosowone Ayodeji Rufus-Diamond
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