Hotel Rwanda

[Diggzz]

Hey there folks, I was wondering if anyone has seen this movie and their thoughts. I watched it last night and to be honest it was shocking. You hear in the news the numbers of people killed and what was going on at the time but I really couldn't put it into context until last night. I though Don Cheadle was amazing in this movie, Nick Nolte's character (loosely based on the Canadian Col. but not too accurate from what I've heard) wasn't too bad but the story is based more on Cheadle. Throughout the story Nolte's character says "American, French, British, they just don't care," although Canada was never specifically mentioned I feel we are as much to blame as well.

The scary thing is that this is going on as we speak in Sudan and yet still nothing is being done. This ties in perfectly with my skeptisism towards Live 8. Throwing money at the problem will not solve anything, there are fundamental problems with the way some countries are run in Africa, this is obvious. So my question is this: what needs to be done to wake up all those suburbanites and middle America to affect change?

[Alexis]

When I saw that movie, I already knew what had happened so it wasn't that shocking. The most shocking part to me was that those peacekeepers just sat there and did nothing. Personally, and I may sound sick for this, but I might have been more affected by the movie if there had been more slaughtering, or if they'd showed mroe dead people. I mean a million people died, and the most you see is a street with 100-200 people on it.

How to make change in Canada, you can't, we're apathetic and don't care enough about our own country to change it. How to make change in America....again...they couldn't even get bushy out...what makes you think you can get them to care what's going on in the Sudan? They can't even find it on a map. The body that may be able to help these people is the UN. Spread the word, get people to care, and get the UN to know they care, then maybe something will change.

[Diggzz]

That is unfortunately the exact same feeling I have, is that nothing will change. As well most of the people on this board, already know of these issues, it's the silent majority that's the problem. Kilometres of road full of "speed bumps" wasn't enough? I hear what you are saying though, I had always figured that guns were the weapon of choice, those 10 cent machetes from China did the job brutally enough though.

[Schwa.]

Well Sudan has been severely set back because of the death of John Garang but it is getting marginally better there compared to years past. There is tentative peace although they are rioting as an uninformed reaction to his death, but the refugees are still pouring out of Sudan. Refugee camps which were overwhelmed with people are beginning to catch up to the flow of people although it is still very grim there too.

Condoleeza Rice was just in Sudan about 2-3 weeks ago to take an abreviated look at the situation and to speak to their gov't on the 'hot' issues, so I wouldn't say that the US is doing nothing. I think, but am not sure, that the US was also the leading financial donator to Sudan last year as well. This financial aid just goes to shit though becasue the Government is so crooked that most of the money goes to banks in the Caymans and Bahamas.

There are now millions of people starving in both Mali and Niger and the world turned a blind eye until the problem got so big that it became 'News' and the networks began to cover it.

Huge problems over there.

[TonyRage]

The problems are so overwhelming and complex. Take Uganda for example, where they have been in civil war for 17 years. Children there sneak back to rtheir village at night after school for fear of being kidnapped and forced into rebel armies. It is refered to as the forgotten war because of the tiny amount of media time given to it. George Strombolopolous gave a section of the hour last month to the war, but I have seen nothing else in the past six months.

There is little we can do from here. Money does not help when corrupt leaders use that money to fight instead of put teh money towards education and health. Sad as it may be (since I hate forced conversion) but the Jesuits still do more than any one group to educate the people there (the only chance of real and sustainable uprising is an educated populace). Unforunately there education is very religious and not so practical.

Short of going yourself and teaching or providing healthcare, your best bet to help is to find development groups (micro credit developement is really effective) and give money or time to help promote them and their mission.

Here are some resources.

http://www.microcreditsummit.org/

http://www.enterweb.org/microcre.htm

http://www.seepnetwork.org/

[hamilton]

I thought the movie was great.

And Don Cheadle is such a fabulous actor, too. I don't think I've ever really been disappointed in any of his performances.