Jackson Meets with Paul Rusesabagina, the Inspiration for "Hotel Rwanda"
June 21, 2006
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr. today met with Paul Rusesabagina, the man who inspired the movie " Hotel Rwanda. " "It was a distinct honor and a high privilege to come face to face with history, with the man who saved 1268 lives with words - pleading, at times intimidating, coaxing, cajoling and negotiating words. His autobiography is entitled An Ordinary Man, but Paul Rusesabagina is no ordinary man," Jackson said.
Jackson and Rusesabagina discussed the Rwanda genocide of 1994 when 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were slaughtered by the Hutu led Interahamwe - the term used to describe the Hutu violent militia that carried out the genocide - and some of the other dire situations in sub-Saharan Africa.
Both having visited the Darfur region of Sudan, Jackson and Rusesabagina discussed the current crisis and ways to alleviate it. They also discussed broader ideas on how to bring peace and prosperity to sub-Saharan African countries experiencing turmoil through development assistance, conflict resolution and democracy building.
Jackson stressed his record on these issues by highlighting the $63.8 million in development aid he secured for Liberia this year and the $500 million he was able to secure for emergency humanitarian assistance for the Darfur region in the Sudan.
Jackson and Rusesabagina both agreed that they would work together in the future to address these ongoing problems facing sub-Saharan Africa.
The Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation can be visited on his website at www.HotelRwandaRusesabaginaFoundation.org.
-30-
