"Shake Hands With the Devil" begins with some ominous T. V. text:
"Rwanda is a small country in central Africa
For centuries its 10 million citizens viewed themselves as one people.
In 1916, Belgium colonized Rwanda, introducing a system of identity cards separating the majority Hutus from the minority Tutsis.
The Tutsis were given preference in education, jobs and power.
In 1959, when Rwanda became independent, the Hutus rebelled and took over the government, exiling and killing Tutsis.
In 1990 a Tutsi-led, multi-ethnic rebel force invaded from Uganda.
French troops intervened.
The invasion ended when both sides signed a peace treaty in 1993, a treaty the UN was sent to protect."
And that's where the movie picks up; in 1993 with a very tenuous truce in place. A "truce" that wouldn't last very long.
I still hold "Hotel Rwanda" as the seminal movie dealing with the genocide committed by the Hutus. Yes, I said genocide. Whatever the U. N. and others deemed it is immaterial, it was genocide. "Hotel Rwanda" was riveting as much as it was tragic. SHWTD is a close second.
SHWTD is from the perspective of U. N. General Dallaire (Roy Dupuis). He was put in charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission In Rwanda (UNAMIR). It seems only he and very few others earnestly wanted peace for Rwandans. As things were heating up and the impending slaughter gained traction, the U. N. peacekeeping forces were effectively neutered by their superiors. They were made into no more than decoration as they attempted to look authoritative with their U. N. uniforms and weapons.
How quickly and how violently the situation devolved into is head-spinning. So, to say that this movie was disheartening is like saying that the Grand Canyon is a big hole. Disheartening was the starting point for this movie. At this point it may seem that I'm discouraging you from watching it. Far from it. I'm just warning you that you should be in the right frame of mind to watch SHWTD. I appreciated the movie. I like movies that get me emotionally involved, even if that emotion is akin to stark depression. The slaughter that occurred in Rwanda was a crime against humanity that should not have been ignored, and for that I'm glad SHWTD was made.
"Rwanda is a small country in central Africa
For centuries its 10 million citizens viewed themselves as one people.
In 1916, Belgium colonized Rwanda, introducing a system of identity cards separating the majority Hutus from the minority Tutsis.
The Tutsis were given preference in education, jobs and power.
In 1959, when Rwanda became independent, the Hutus rebelled and took over the government, exiling and killing Tutsis.
In 1990 a Tutsi-led, multi-ethnic rebel force invaded from Uganda.
French troops intervened.
The invasion ended when both sides signed a peace treaty in 1993, a treaty the UN was sent to protect."
And that's where the movie picks up; in 1993 with a very tenuous truce in place. A "truce" that wouldn't last very long.
I still hold "Hotel Rwanda" as the seminal movie dealing with the genocide committed by the Hutus. Yes, I said genocide. Whatever the U. N. and others deemed it is immaterial, it was genocide. "Hotel Rwanda" was riveting as much as it was tragic. SHWTD is a close second.
SHWTD is from the perspective of U. N. General Dallaire (Roy Dupuis). He was put in charge of the United Nations Assistance Mission In Rwanda (UNAMIR). It seems only he and very few others earnestly wanted peace for Rwandans. As things were heating up and the impending slaughter gained traction, the U. N. peacekeeping forces were effectively neutered by their superiors. They were made into no more than decoration as they attempted to look authoritative with their U. N. uniforms and weapons.
How quickly and how violently the situation devolved into is head-spinning. So, to say that this movie was disheartening is like saying that the Grand Canyon is a big hole. Disheartening was the starting point for this movie. At this point it may seem that I'm discouraging you from watching it. Far from it. I'm just warning you that you should be in the right frame of mind to watch SHWTD. I appreciated the movie. I like movies that get me emotionally involved, even if that emotion is akin to stark depression. The slaughter that occurred in Rwanda was a crime against humanity that should not have been ignored, and for that I'm glad SHWTD was made.