For replacement credit, I watched the film, Hotel Rwanda. In this reaction paper I will write my impressions and reaction to the film, as well as address the film as it relates to the concepts of human geography that I have learned over the semester. The movie is about the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. The movie shows how Hutu extremists mass murdered the Tutsi population and how one Hutu named Paul Rusesabagina, a hotel manager, helped save the lives of his friends and family and over one thousand refugees. The movie itself was very well done. It was shocking and inspirational. I was shocked by the hatred and horrible acts that were committed agaisnt the Tutsi population. Genocide is something that seems surreal to me until I see films like Schindler's List or Hotel Rwanda. Killing just on the basis of race or ethnicity is completely and utterly insane. I have learned a lot about genocide this semester and the ethnic tension that takes place around the globe. I was inspired by the courage and heroism of Paul Rusesabagina. Unfortunately, I was only vaguely aware of the situation that transpired in Rwanda in 1994. The genocide in Rwanda relates to geography in terms of ethnic conflict. As it was described in the movie, the differences between Tutsi and Hutu were mostly seen as differences of physical appearance. Tutsis are supposedly taller, a little bit lighter-skinned, have slightly wider noses, etc. I have done a little bit of research since seeing the movie, and have learned that the differences can be a little more complex, but I like the way it was portrayed in the movie because it demonstrates the pure insanity of killing a person based upon his or her ethnicity. One thing that I didn't like about the movie, is that what makes ethnic conflict so difficult to deal with, is the fact that there are usually wrongs committed on both sides of the conflict. In class, this was particularly emphasized in the Israeli-Palestinian
