Most people have seen the movie Hotel Rwanda about the iconic Hotel des Mille Collines that became a sanctuary for thousands of Tutsis during the 1994 genocide. Now thanks to a bold program of economic reform, several large international hotel chains are preparing to build luxury hotels in the former ethnically torn country.
The hospitality industry may prove to be the engine to economic growth there. The fact that international chains like Marriott want to come to Rwanda should be seen as encouraging for a society still recovering from a genocide.
This is an interesting story because it asks the fundamental question “How does a country respond to a genocide”? As a country, you can either be remembered as a land of untold bloodshed and remain economically depressed over it.
I think Rwanda is doing the right thing by acknowledging its’ genocidal past. The past cannot be changed. All we can do is everything we can to ensure it never happens again. Surely, building an economically prosperous society with international hotel chains is a good step in the right direction.
Showing posts with label Genocide. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genocide. Show all posts
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Why all the U.N. Hate?
Fair question, given that the United Nations emergence on the global stage opened new doors for diplomacy. Talking about things has probably averted a conflict or seven over the years, and United Nations reports are typically plentiful sources of information that provide guidance to the issues of the world.
For all the criticism lobbed at the United Nations, it beats the alternative of tanks rumbling through the streets of Berlin, rioting in the streets and burning buildings in downtown Paris.
I think the hatred for the United Nations comes from its’ performance in the big moments. It's sort of like if your a really nice person, but tend to shoot your mouth off when people are listening. You'll get a reputation as a jerk and a blowhard whether its deserved or not.
The United Nations has frozen in some pretty big spots. I'm thinking particularly about the Rwandan genocide. The U.N. failed to listen to their people on the ground and now the death toll in Rwanda is over a million.
The U.N. has done great works throughout the world, but they've also had occasion to falter when it mattered most. Rightly or wrongly, their failures have been broadcast to the entire world and stand out more than their successes.
For all the criticism lobbed at the United Nations, it beats the alternative of tanks rumbling through the streets of Berlin, rioting in the streets and burning buildings in downtown Paris.
I think the hatred for the United Nations comes from its’ performance in the big moments. It's sort of like if your a really nice person, but tend to shoot your mouth off when people are listening. You'll get a reputation as a jerk and a blowhard whether its deserved or not.
The United Nations has frozen in some pretty big spots. I'm thinking particularly about the Rwandan genocide. The U.N. failed to listen to their people on the ground and now the death toll in Rwanda is over a million.
The U.N. has done great works throughout the world, but they've also had occasion to falter when it mattered most. Rightly or wrongly, their failures have been broadcast to the entire world and stand out more than their successes.
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