Africa, an enigmatic mess of a continent, always been the source of inspiration for European free-spirits, both of a bygone era and the present, known for its status as the 'White Man's grave' and still sticking true to it with its numerous civil wars, show of brutality, animal-like traits permeating through the veins of wanton killers who'd be hanged elsewhere in a heartbeat and fuckloads of viruses which could render any fuckstick on this planet dead within a matter of hours. Or and did I forget to mention the safari ants?? And you'd be wondering to yourself 'How could anyone ever live there?'. That being the primary question, you'd formulate an apt response to it within seconds. "Oh well they do. And its perfectly normal for them to kill each other anyways. Africa and Africans are doomed from the onset!" Ah well, I certainly don't blame you for thinking it, I am guilty as sin of it myself. And why should I or you be ashamed? When the whole world anyway didn't bat a single eyelid till genocide rates in Rwanda hit close to a million. Only then did the fuckmooks sitting high up in the UN figure out that something was wrong (after 800 000 deaths, are u shittin' me?) and chose to intervene.

Africans have had a record for using any excuse to commit genocide. Don't blame it on them, fix the blame on the colonial 'massahs' who had do demarcate national boundaries rather very very shabbily, confining people with a history of issues and vengeful hatred towards each other within common borders. With that, we have the Deutsch and the Ruskis arming the third world to the teeth with weaponry (while food remains scarce. How this benefits anyone is beyond my comprehension). And now lets go out and sing happily 'Its rainin' rounds..halleluyaah its rainin' rounds..yeahh!!' in the streets of Kigali. Cos its not hailstorm even, but cold, metallic, flesh-piercing bullets that rain down on you from all directions.

And amidst thr Hutu-Tutsi madness, u see sanity in the form of Paul Rusesabagina, Rwanda's own Oscar Schindler. A member of the oppressing group yet again (him being a Hutu in this one), saving the lives of those condemned to ethnic liquidation, the Tutsis. I'm pretty bad with figures, but a safe estimate would be anywhere between a grand to 2 grands of Tutsis. Like Schindler, he did this via extensive bribes and networks he had built earlier. In this case, he used the hotel he was working at, converting it into a safe haven for those marked on the list for termination.

That being easy would translate into a real bad joke. Paul himself had to resort to near-desperate moments of humiliation at the hands of the army to keep himself, his family and the Tutsis under his charge alive. He was skating on thin, and I mean really very thin, ice almost all the time during his years in Rwanda. And the UN watched all this, silently. Of course we had a good samaritarian in the form of Col. Oliver ( Lt Gen Romeo Dallaire in reality), who sideswiped his orders of non-intervention in some places and rendered assistance and protection (though minimal, it was an effort) to Paul, and assisted in quelling the flames of brutality and hate to a certain extent.

Paul is essayed by Don Cheadle in this flick, a perfect choice for the role really. This was spearheaded as an independant flick and I'm thankful the director excercized discretion finally and left out big names such as Washington or Smith in this one. It has the raw feel of an indi film, and yet seems all too real. Cheadle researched extensively on his role, together with the real Paul, who was pretty much a major part in this filmmaking process, himself and his wife travelling once again to Rwanda.

You'd be moved in places aplenty, and if u aren't u r either watching this doped up, are trying too hard to be cool or in a major need of an emotional re-check with your shrink. I certainly was affected,myself having travelled to a country that experience similiar levels of insanity not too long ago...Cambodia. And I keep asking myself "What could possibly make people do these things to each other?" I remember someone on my trip suggesting a revisit to those spots, simply to understand the background of it all. But reality is another thing entirely. There can be no understanding in this madness, just an acceptance of shoddy excuses the architects of insanity dish out like chocolates to us and to the Human Rights bodies which conduct the inquisition. And whoever questions the elitist first world (and their UN known for its sycophancy), which chooses to sit tight till a million bodies hit the dirt before spearheading any military intervention.

Thats a question I know I would never have a satisfactory answer to.

When people ask me, good listeners, why do I hate all the Tutsi, I say, "Read our history." The Tutsi were collaborators for the Belgian colonists, they stole our Hutu land, they whipped us. Now they have come back, these Tutsi rebels. They are cockroaches. They are murderers. Rwanda is our Hutu land. We are the majority. They are a minority of traitors and invaders. We will squash the infestation. We will wipe out the RPF rebels. This is RTLM, Hutu power radio. Stay alert. Watch your neighbours.

With that kinda horseshit being spouted on National radio, I'd tell the Pope to go have a break. U don't need the Devil. Mankind and mankind alone is the very architect of the Hell he lives in.

*peace*