Paul Rusesabagina, the Real-Life Hero of "Hotel Rwanda," Speaks at Goucher College

Release date: December 01, 2009 |

Paul Rusesabagina, a human rights activist and the real-life hero of the acclaimed film Hotel Rwanda, will speak at Goucher College on Tuesday, December 1, at 8 p.m. in the Hyman Forum of the Athenaeum.

Due to widespread interest in this event, no more tickets are available. The lecture was streamed live on Goucher College's website, and an archive of the video is available here. 

Rusesabagina served as manager of the Hotel des Mille Collines in Kigali, Rwanda, during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, which left more than 800,000 people dead. He bravely risked his life to shelter Hutus and Tutsis who were seeking refuge from the horrific violence and saved the lives of more than 1,200 people.

He will discuss his experiences during the Rwandan genocide — one of the worst tragedies of the 20th century — and the ways in which governments, nongovernmental organizations, and ordinary people can work together to prevent genocide throughout the world.

Rusesabagina is now the president and founder of the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, a not-for-profit organization that supports victims of genocide and carries out peace efforts in Rwanda and throughout the world. 

The organization raises public awareness about the need for an internationally administered Truth and Reconciliation Commission for Rwanda and the Great Lakes Region of Africa. The foundation also works on issues related to the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where more than 5 million have died, and on campaigning for an end to Rwandan military intervention in the Congo and against the deadly exploitation of conflict minerals in the region.

To further the mission of his foundation, Rusesabagina tours the world speaking about social justice, human rights activism, and the lessons learned from the Rwandan genocide.

In 2000, Rusesabagina received the Immortal Chaplains Prize for Humanity. In 2005, he received the highest civilian award in the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, from President George W. Bush. That same year, Rusesabagina was also honored with the National Civil Rights Museum Freedom Award and the Humanitarian Award from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation.

Rusesabagina served as special consultant during the production of Hotel Rwanda, and his popular autobiography, An Ordinary Man, was published by Penguin Group Inc. in April 2006.