On April 7, 1994, Rwanda, the East African country, entered the darkest period of its history. As depicted in the Hollywood flick Hotel Rwanda and in various other movies and books, the genocide against the Tutsis led to a loss of up to one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in 100 days.
During this period, Hotel des Mille Collines became a shelter for a terrified crowd fearing for their lives. The lives of up to 2,000 people were saved by the hotel which opened its doors to the citizens. Some gave birth, others got married, and most importantly, all of them were given the chance to have a future.
It was in this hotel, where Vice President Hamid Ansari decided to meet the President of the Senate of Rwanda on Monday and presented him the copy of the Indian constitution .
"We were delighted to host the Vice President of India. The hotel is frequented by international tourists who want to know about the history, particularly because, many of them have watched the movie," said Paul Kato, marketing manager of the hotel.
Ansari's gesture signified the highest importance being given by India to the history of Rwanda that shaped the lives of not only the sufferers of the genocide but the Indians who formed a significant part of this struggle for revival. Ansari was served an eight course meal with famous Indian chicken and fish curries on the menu. Incidentally, it was a Pakistani national Ubed Rehman, the executive housekeeper of the hotel, who got the chance to serve Ansari and decide the lavish Indian menu.
Speaking in Hindi, Rehman, who was earlier working in Iraq, said Rwanda is reaching out to the world community with lessons in peace and brotherhood. He said he was happy to have got a chance to meet the vice president. Today, the hotel has 70-80 percent occupancy on a daily basis. Volcano safaris and the genocide memorial top the list of visits by foreign tourists.
Genocide memorial at Hotel des Mille Collines
The memorial has pictures of the deceased men, women and children—victims of the worst kind of brutality that brings shame to humanity. Fresh flowers are kept on graves—some open ones—keeping memories alive. But amongst this despair, the management of the memorial is gathering messages of peace for its future generations. Those who visit the memorial can leave a message of peace and harmony on a sheets of papers that are collected and read out to children of Rwanda.
