Shake Hands With The Devil on TV Tonight

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The Passionate Eye is showing Shake Hands With The Devil tonight (Monday) at 10 PM Eastern on Newsworld.

Canadian Lt.-General (ret.) Roméo Dallaire may never fully come to terms with the horrific events that unfolded while he commanded the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda, but the emotionally scarred Dallaire is trying. Over 100 nightmarish days in 1994, more than 800,000 men, women and children were brutally murdered, despite the valiant efforts of Dallaire and his small number of peacekeepers.

Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire follows the former UN General during his first return trip to Rwanda 10 years after the genocide, a searing emotional journey in which he confronts the memories that persistently haunt him.

In 1993, Dallaire was thrown into a country with only minimal briefing, leading a force that included ill equipped, poorly trained soldiers, some of whom did not want to be there. Unsupported by UN headquarters, Dallaire and his remaining handful of soldiers were incapable of stopping the killing. He condemns top UN officials, Belgian policy-makers, and senior members of the Clinton administration who chose to do nothing as he pleaded each day for reinforcements and revised rules of engagement. The experience led to Dallaire's own life tragedy, more than once attempting suicide, as he dealt with the psychological fallout of witnessing a genocide he believes could have been stopped.

Dallaire shares his remarkable emotional pilgrimage back to Rwanda, not only with the documentary crew, but also with his wife, who for the first time experiences the country that changed her husband so dramatically. The documentary is based in part on the best-selling book Shake Hands With The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt.-General Roméo Dallaire, which recently won the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction. It was principally filmed in early April 2004, during the 10th anniversary of the genocide.

Shake Hands With The Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire is produced and directed by Gemini Award-winning filmmaker Peter Raymont of White Pine Pictures in association with CBC/Radio-Canada.

[Kanada Kev]

FANTASTIC documentary. Absolutely incredible Canadian. Incredible what Dellaire went through while the world just sat back and ignored the situation.

To get an understanding of what went down in Rwanda, and why it and many other African nations are dealing with so many troubles, everyone should watch this.

Newsworld repeats this program a few times through the week in case you miss it.

[DevO]

I saw this a while back and I agree, its a great documentary. Now if I could only find time to read his book..

[Kanada Kev]

I wasn't too keen on the Hollywoodization of Dallaire in Hotel Rwanda. Still a good movie, but the doc is the reality and soo much better.

On the topic of Africa and docs ... reminds me I've got to watch War Drum. Supposed to be incredible.

[Birdy]

Thanks for posting! What a hearbreaking situation that was/is.

The Stompin' Tom connors brought a smile to my face though.

[DevO]

On the topic of Africa and docs ... reminds me I've got to watch War Drum. Supposed to be incredible.

You mean War Dance! That movie IS amazing, and a must-see. Bring tissues.

[DevO]

On the topic of Africa and docs ... reminds me I've got to watch War Drum. Supposed to be incredible.

You mean War Dance! That movie IS amazing' date=' and a must-see. Bring tissues.[/quote']

Hey, by the way, this is playing this week in Toronto!

http://canada.amref.org/index.asp?PageID=124

I'm gonna post this in the War Dance thread.