'Hotel Rwanda' Teacher's Guide

The film "Hotel Rwanda" addresses a horrific issue: genocide. This is a difficult and upsetting topic. Yet, as the film shows, while people and governments chose to ignore the 1994 Rwandan genocide, one individual bravely risked his life and stood up to the horror, calling upon all of his resources to first save his family, then ended up saving 1,268 helpless refugees. In cooperation with United Artists, Amnesty International USA has created a Hotel Rwanda teacher's guide intended for use by high school age students. It can also be used in the traditional classroom or a communitysetting. The purpose of this educator's guide is to explore the history of the crisis and generate debate on strategies that could have been pursued to prevent the genocide. It is also a tool for analysing what will be effective in the future as the international community confronts similar conditions. This guide offers educators an opportunity to explore the idea of individual and collective responsibility. Two of the lessons included in this guide examine the role of the international community and the role of the media. The third lesson addresses the issue of transition - hope, accountability and how a country recovers from such a horrific event.

original connect:http://www.hrea.org/