The Hotel Hero Speaks

What happened in Rwanda in the mid-1990s is almost beyond comprehension. An estimated 800,000 Rwandans were slaughtered in a genocide that somehow managed to fly under the radar of public consciousness (at least in the U.S.). It boggles the mind that so many people were systematically wiped out during modern times, while civilized countries pretty much sat on their laurels. It also boggles the mind that even in the face of the murders of nearly a million countrymen, some people managed to take a stand against the horrors of the genocide. One such hero is Paul Rusesabagina, a man whose history you are familiar with if you've ever seen Hotel Rwanda. And you probably have--the film remains one of the most Netflixed films in history, bringing the reality of the atrocities in Rwanda to the forefront of our consciousness, one red envelope at a time. Rusesabagina himself also works to educate the world about what happened in his country, and those who catch his lecture, "Hotel Rwanda: Lessons Yet to Be Learned," at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, will likely be stunned by what the former hotel manager has to say. Rusesabagina, who sheltered more than 1,000 refugees from the killings, lectures as part of UNT-International's Encounters International Speakers Series 2010 at the Lyceum of UNT's Union, located one block West of Welch and West Prairie Streets. There is no cost for admission. Call 940-565-2197 or visit unt.edu/news.
Tue., March 30, 7:30 p.m.; Thu., April 1, 7:30 p.m., 2010