CULTURAL DIVIDES AND THE SEEDS OF CONFLICT ANALYZING ETHNIC
TENSIONS IN HOTEL RWANDA MOVIE
Film Analysis Paper 1
2024
Abstract
Reckoning conflict, as it appears in Hotel Rwanda, has the cultural barriers and
misunderstandings at the mainstay of this. It provides a penetration of the way propaganda, fear
and mistrust comprised of ethnic tensions between Hutus and Tutsi led to Rwandan genocide.
Analyzing grievance based identity based violence using Joseph Nye’s framework on whose
work cultural misunderstandings are studied, it is clear how grievances are instrumentalized to
amplify violence and obstruct reconciliation. Among the themes s highlighted include use of
historical injustices, use of media to intensify polarization and the international response to
genocide. A global conflict map briefly places the experience of the Rwanda genocide within a
family of other examples of genocide linked to ethnic conflict in the case studies of Bosnia,
Sudan as well as Uganda. Therefore, the solutions for treating these cleavages are; promoting
trust, participation in the political process, and promoting community reconciliation processes.
History and theory lessons and movie make use of to underscore the imperative of continuous
culture retention in the management of conflicts so that long lasting peace can take root in
multicultural societies.
Introduction to Cultural Triggers
How Hotel Rwanda serve as an explanation of cultural segregation
The culture of Rwanda especially the conflict between Hutus and Tutsis did undermine
the progress in the movie Hotel Rwanda. Through the immovable historiographical narratives,
the movie states how these groups view each other and cause animosity and suspicion. It is vivid
representation of Hutu government ideas that represent Tutsis as cockroaches and how cultural
ideologies are used to allow exclusion and violence (Maxwell et al., 2023). This can be
illustrated with a realistic example of the territory of Yugoslavia of the nineties where cultural
stereotypes have exacerbated the conflict. The racism in an institution is bad because one can
disappear Tutsis with the help of media and policy making. Consequently, the division becomes
genocide in the movie and is, as far as it goes, a very sharp lesson in tragic possibility of the
cultural conflict. To support the statements made, Luo, Huang, and Blair (2022) have pointed out
that quite frequently, cultural variables become an impossibility to overcome when the issue of
cultural variables is addressed and the process of reconciliation seems to become virtually
unattainable. It also focuses on the areas where ethnic oriented issues are taking place and where
cultural conflicts must be deescalated. From the produced movie Hotel Rwanda, the viewers
obtain an inestimable lesson of today’s conflict interpreting, if the amount of attention needed to
foresee and avert culture clashes is paid.
Understanding conflict through the cultural cues
The film makes a good attempt at showing that conflict tends to escalate from cultural
differences by turning general animosities into specific hostility. According to Luo et al. (2022),
whipping up of preexisting discrimination is the propaganda of Hutu rulers known as enshrining
of culture and social rifts. Nye et al. (2012) state that culture contributes to tension and escalates
tensions as the cultural inequalities match up with power hierarchies in this case. Unlike for most
films, the cultural triggers in Hotel Rwanda are cultural actors as the agents of conflict and not
cultural symbols as motives. For instance, the portrayal of polices forces minority of Tutsis
during evacuation operations is a good example of the failure in trust between two ethnic groups.
That institutional prejudices play a role in amplifying these cleavages, and that violence
redoubles them. The educational interventions with multiculturalism is important in preventing
these triggers from occurring and escalating as Sumarna et al., (2021) have also stated. The case
that cultural triggers partly have hidden effectiveness in shaping individual and combined actions
is evaluated when considering representations of the violence at community level. The film also
makes the audience realize how much cultural cues play a role in determining the direction of a
conflict, and thus shape forums action based on prevention oriented interventions.
Nye’s Framework on Cultural misunderstandings
Joseph Nye’s framework acts as the theoretical base to find out the cultural differences
that are behind the conflicts in the movie Hotel Rwanda. The author has proposed that culture
breaks occur when one party sees their culturally acquired identity or ways of perceiving the
world as a threat to another (Nye et al., 2012). The depiction of Hutu’s and Tutsi’s rejection
shown in the film demonstrates this because of so many years of colonialism and competition.
Luo et al (2022) also stated that a cultural dimension is created that causes a culture of conflict
such that conflict more often escalates than resolves under cultural influences. Lack of
intervention by the international community in the film is put down to ignorance of culture
sphere in the society. Like Maxwell et al. (2023) the film also has dialogues that help in the
settlement of existing cultural conflicts to an extent that the film implicitly exemplifies through
the figure of Paul Rusesabagina, a mediator and a safeguard. Hotel Rwanda, in fact, does support
Nye’s observation, as it is portrayed as painting the cost of failure to pay attention to cultural
relations. Thus, the movie works as an example, representing proper conceptual analysis of
cultural friction within Nye’s wheel in terms of the context.
Thesis and Relevance of the Analysis
On this account of the foregoing argument, this analysis submits that Hotel Rwanda
presents how cultural stimuli and misinterpretation lead to conflict. Furthermore, by using the
cultural rifts examined by the film to explain the power struggle and the larger societal tension it
also means that we should be more attentive to how identity contributes to this process.
Restoring harmony between these tensions, according to Nye et al. (2012) is about shifting
cultural stories so that the narratives remain connected. Sumarna et al. (2021) also recognize that
increasing the number and accessibility of inclusive education and platforms where people could
partake, lowers such divisions. Hotel Rwanda functions as a cautionary story of the human price
exacted by the cultural conflict that remained unresolved for the Rwandan genocide and the
reconciliation of adversaries who are forever at odds in troubled societies. This thesis
underscores the role of cultural stimuli for theoretical and practical programs in conflict
resolution, and their general importance in international relations and conflict transformation
processes.
Theoretical Framework on Cultural Misunderstandings
Analysis of Cultural Conflicts and Conflicts Processes
It is important to understand that perceptions of culture are as important as they occur
when people judge actions and or beliefs of other people in a narrow and skewed way. So what
these misunderstandings do is to amplify a perceived threat or hostility that would turn a simple
disagreement into a mega showdown. People use prejudice and stereotypes to try to understand
the behavior of others and continue communication across cultural differences is difficult (Orbe
and Harris 2022). Perceived intentions in intergroup trade conflict that can be worsened by
improper handling of intentions are also present in the situations (Korovkin & Makarin, 2023).
To make analysis cultural misunderstandings it is impossible not to note that these problems do
not take place in the vacuum, but in the society and historically. For instance, if groups are
unable to make similar memory, they will be more ready to withstand more conflict as a result of
difference in historical or other cultural records. According to Durham (2020), a society is on the
brink of conflict because the change of demography and migration intensify the misperception of
cultural differences. These dynamics are examined in detail to explain how these
misunderstandings maintain existing cleavages, but even more importantly, how they impede
healing. A prolongation of conflict and barbwire entrenchment of distrust and hate are what
emerge from a cross cultural breakdown of communication. These strategies need to be
developed because of learning the forms and outcomes of the conflicts related to cultural
differences in the given areas.
Second, there are cultural differences that are bound to exist, but at the same time
represent sources of conflict, since they undermine social capital in conflicted societies. There is
no better instance of this than in societies that are extremely polarized on account of their
differences in ethnic and cultural lines, and which glory in their individual cultures. Therefore,
according to Volf (2019) otherness persists, thus exacerbating minority population
marginalization, retaliation and vulnerability. Cultural misunderstandings always give rise to
hostility making it difficult for stake holders to begin a dialogue or bargain from any starting
point. Chigudu (2019) was right in the case of Sudan, where lack of willingness or inability to
understand the other tribal group(s) led to protracted conflict and no willingness to negotiate.
The first thing that these examples help show is that cultural miscalculation is not only a matter
of communication, but it is also related to a complex of power and identity. According to
research works, a common ground of thoughts and strategies to promote cultural understanding
have to be chosen to erase these fallacies (Halabo, 2019). A reconciliation process may founder
even when performed with the best of intention as long as the problems that created the divisions
by culture are not solved. The studying of cultural versions of conflict management implies that
there is a need to develop an effective culture to take cultural differences in conflict management
approaches.
The issue of Ethnicity and Its Political Consequences
Ethnicity is politicalized especially when resource and power are broken along ethnic
lines. This is politicized ethnic identity; cultural variations are being used as useful instruments
to organize (or outlier) people. However, according to Halalo (2019), in his article, the system of
ethnic federalism purported to embrace the country’s ethnic diversity, instead it creates ethnic
cleavage by enshrine ethnic categorization. Ethnic identity has been a cause of pride and conflict
in Ethiopia and this is clearly seen there. Ethnic narrative used by political elites in polity to
enhance their standing must be explained with the aid of ethnicity and ethno backgrounds up, but
political elites must be careful when using ethnic narrative to bolster their standing because it can
escalate prejudice and hostility between groups and rupture unity in the country. Additionally,
Durham (2020) posits that these dynamics are intensified through migration through changes to
ethnic balance and can also recreate existing organizational structures. Changes can trigger
arguments by the side of outgoing groups and deepen tensions of the ongoing social conflicts.
The conflict between ethnicity and political power is evidence that governance framework
systems need to include and accommodate all. According to Durham (2020), ethnic identity is a
cause of conflict, which continues to fuel cycles of mistrust and violence when there are no such
systems of identification. To tackle these challenges however, a complex knowledge of the socio
political structures that underlie ethnic conflicts is required.
Realism, Liberalism, and splitting cultures
Realists and liberals are more inclined to different opinions on the position of cultural
division in international relations. Realists believe that people are at heart selfish and that inter
group conflict is caused and justified by such things as cultural differences. When viewed from
this point, cultural cleavages are nothing but an expression of the power relation in an anarchic
world system (Halabo, 2019). This is justified historical experience, and e.g. Korovkin and
Makarin (2023) on Russia Ukraine crisis shows that such economic and cultural tensions can
come together with broader geopolitical struggle. As a result, according to liberal theorists on the
other hand, sow BeforeSend cooperation and common institutions and norms are possible. Volf
(2019) believes to build consensus and common identity, things like cross cultural discussions
should be promoted. Poor realism lays out the social factors that lead to continuing cultural
segregation and rich liberalism opens up ways of converting segregation to cooperation. The
purpose of this thesis is, stepping through each of these views, to demonstrate that cultural
differences are not fixed absolutes but are massively conditioned by the political and
organizational climate.
The cultural divides problem then reveals itself as multifaceted, whenever one considers
the conflict of deeply rooted realism with liberalism. Realist theories believe that cultural
conflicts can't be solved unless they are based on power interests and they are ignored. For
example, Halabo (2019) gives a clear example comparing two ethnic groups in Ethiopia, one of
which emerges victorious over the other after extant efforts to resolve the conflict. On the other
hand, liberals back strategies that include practices that respect people and encourage people to
have conversations. Durham (2020) suggests that people should and can learn to produce a
common cultural narrative to reduce cultural conflict. This echoes Volf (2019) who argues that
reconciliation requires a level of engagement of systems and the relationships. Together these
theories explain that trying to unify everything will not solve racist divisions. But the measures
made must be considered in terms of their borrowings from realism and liberalism, as all explain
the structural, institutional, and relational bases for these splits.
A case study of Ethnic Based Conflicts
Understanding the clash between cultural differences can be understood by comparing
ethnic based conflicts. For example, Sudan is being a good example for ethnic identities are so
rooted that they continue to prolong the suffering or obstruct the path of finding solution.
Chigudu (2019) also notes that animosity between Arab and African tribes established the no
recognition tone, which became a political elite tool. Yet further things to do with economic
imbalance and resource problems fueled group rivalries. Korovkin and Makarin’s (2023) study
of Russia and Ukraine’s conflict similarly focuses on culture and nature, in particular. These
varied along cultural and economic lines. In both cases, there was a lack of sensitivity to the gaps
in culture and the gaps in culture were the leading to the protraction of violence and hostility and
resistance to attempts to negotiate. Durham (2023) says these examples demonstrate how cultural
and economic aspects of conflict must be addressed by any such conflict solving processes. This
is one of the points of how to avoid replicate the same mistakes by trying to understand the root
causes of ethnic based conflicts through understanding the different specific contexts and
histories of ethnic based conflicts.
Second, the case of the Rwandan genocide is also of interest because here ethnicity
served as a reason for large scale killings. Volf (2019) also stated that apart from political
manipulation, the culture was the other cause of the genocide; stereotyping of the Tutsis as
enemies of the state exacerbated ethnic hostility and potential for enmity. In the same way,
Durham (2020) pointed out that migration and demographic changes within Rwanda increased
hostility between the two groups which are the Hutu and the Tutsi. These dynamics tend to call
for ways of keeping the existing cultural similarities or differences from exploding. Volf (2019)
assert that the presented case studies allow to conclude that the conflicts of ethnic nature are not
only multifaceted, but also depend on the historical cultural and political aspects. The need for
intervention that balances short and long term causes that push people away from each other in
order to solve all these problems.
Escalation Myths and Fears That Must Be Put Aside
Due to their basis on stereotyping and the enhancement of distrust, this paper concludes
that myths and fears are the main causes of the escalation of the conflict. It is such narratives that
group resentment or felt identity threat on the part breeds a cycle of hostility that is impossible to
contain. Volf (2019) also enlightens that myths about “the other” are very often used to justify
the reasons why they have to be excluded or even killed, as the civil war in Sudan. According to
Halabo (2019) in Ethiopia, political rivalry and rejection for power sharing have also been due to
fear of ethnic domination. Likewise, Chigudu (2019) admits that the myths which were actively
practiced by the tribes of Sudan contributed to the ethnicity split and it did not allow moving to
reconciliation further. These myths and fears must be challenged with agendas for change and
replace bulletins of myths and shared respect. Without such interventions within that social
platform, the existing perpetual conflicts will be sustained by myths and fear, on the other hand,
the very issues will distance themselves from relativity. This is a realization crucial in assessing
the extent to which such stories help in reversing the problem with generalizations and the
conflicts of culture concerns.
Cultural Conflicts in Hotel Rwanda
The Hutus and the Tutsis are cultures in conflict
The Hotel Rwanda can explain how cultural and ethnic differences lead to escalation into
a conflict of power. In the past colonial administrative policies that favored Tutsis and created a
lot of anger among hutus compounded such distinctions. According to Shaw and Wong (2020), if
ethnicity is being utilized for unequal advantage, this will lead to unending grievances that may
stir up during changing of political regime. In film, these fights were past. As indicated in
Rwandan politics, where people are seen as inferior or superior, Kuol (2019) pointed out that
ethnic diversity is a source of conflict. The emergent distrust is painted by the film, which shows
ways in which the Tutsis were dehumanized. Social tension exploded in this book because the
Hutu government portrayed Tutsis as a threat to their existence. This adversarial perception was
not hard wired however; it evolved over several decades of political instigation and social
segregation. As Davies (2021) points out, the divisions produce only us versus them description,
leaving no possibility of unity. The very community interactions which turned different
neighbors into enemies within societal structures that they imbibe have also proved to be toxic.
The way this antagonistic relationship in the film signifies or even portrays this actually frames
the blotting of the society because of unaddressed cultural and ethnical seams. At the same time,
it underlines that cultural enemies are not organic to a social context but the product of Identity
politics, the exploitation of peoples’ identities. The account also shows that it is difficult to
change such structural adversarial relationships once they are in place. The overcome these
divisions requires systemic change and cultural and reconciliation processes.
How the notion of Identity lends specific violent personalities to the Hutus and Tutsis
conflict is demonstrated. Geographically one people in the same region that could be defined and
actually polarized by colonial categorizations and then politically manipulated. Visaka (2020)
states that Identity based conflict is more destructive because they are brought about by
existential anxiety. This is portrayed in Hotel Rwanda through Substitution of Hutu minorities
through Tutsis as a result of perceived Tutsi assertion of an extermination threat as the act of
genocide in which Hutu militias carried out the genocide acts against Tutsis. Further, Kuol
(2019) observes that deepening politics and ethnicity deepen rift and reconciliation progress
becomes hard. In the film, this dynamic is traced insofar as part of the genocide was very social,
the people used to kill their neighbors. Through showing the historical and political grounds of
this hostile experience the film offers to explain how the ethnic identity can be used to maintain
the hostile cycle. This indicates that divisional cleavage was in effect during those times when
Hutu militias could mobilize mass participation in violence. It also shows that such divisions
should be settled by the structures associated with the equality. Thus, there is focus on the policy
actions to prevent the aggravation of the ethnicity in the interest of maintaining social
cohesiveness.
Propaganda Rejected and the Making of Dividedness
In the movie, Hotel Rwanda we see that propaganda is a device used to make division.
The Hutu led government used the media to spew hate speeches which branded the Tutsis as
mere “cockroaches” to give them an excuse to “shadow” any physical violence. Shaw and Wong
(2020) went even further to argue that propaganda complicates cultural conflicts and makes them
into stories of fear and enmity. On this respect the film role makes a clear picture on the extent to
which these onslaught of narratives called for the ordinary citizens to participate in genocide.
According to Allsopp and Van Wilgenburg (2019), propaganda serves not only to rationalize
violence, but in fact domesticates it so that it can be accepted in society, enthroning exclusion
and aggression as social norms. But as you will see in the film, the Hutu government found their
instrument of direction of the population, including militias, against Tutsis, in radio broadcasts.
In depraving the gaps and showing them as the implacable conflicting lines, this systematic
manipulation of information proves the idea of propaganda in the formation of perceptions.
According to Kuol (2019) propaganda can work where there is inequality and low levels of trust
is used where there is discontent. This is shown in the manner that propaganda infiltrated all
levels of society, so that people had no outlet to voice their opinion of the media. Using
emotional language often is a way to make the propaganda to repeat its message into the minds
of people. This means that propaganda is extremely important, because without it there would
not be already existing conflict, nor the violence going on. Also it indicates how media can be
used to provoke issues that cause cultural and ethnical crises and insisting on the responsibility in
reporting.
The failure of Hotel Rwanda to sever social relations and deny possibilities of
reintegration strongly shows in actual propaganda. Carothers and O’Donohue write that
propaganda makes polarization faster, painting every discord black and white, with no option to
tolerate the other side. Shaw and Wong (2020) says the movie shows how the relationships
between Hutus and Tutsis who had had been able to live side by side break, showing how this is
the case. These communities were turned into battle grounds by these Hutu dominated
government, so they filled them with propaganda and hostility. Davies (2021) argues that
because propaganda disrupts the act of talking, they undermine, and even immobilize, the
process of reconciliation. The movie still shows that group of one betrayed the other even in a bit
of peaceful resolution between Hutus and Tutsis. It proves that hate speech and violence are now
to be considered normalities, and that the propaganda which leads to war also has long term
effects on societies. The way people are divided by this is very powerfully demonstrated by the
examples of communities which have remained open to hostility even after the fight. Hotel
Rwanda insists on the need of combating would be misinformation campaigns in societies where
manpower and time to avoid complications in the social polity are available. That is why media
literacy and measures to protect people from such violations in the coming wars cannot be
overemphasized.
The Global Malaise in Handling Conflict
The Rwandan genocide was poorly picked up by the international community as Hotel
Rwanda analyzes the indifference to cultural discord. Our leaders had been given very strong
indications that things were going to get worse and they did not provide any substantive
assistance. Based on the Rwandan example, Visaka (2020) thought that the international
relation’s responses are based not on humanitarian crises, but political interest. That failure is
shown through the weak, powerless United Nations’ peacekeeping force, who, in fact, had no
right to come to the defense of the civilians against the rebels. Shaw and Wong (2020) added that
there is a lot of delay in the response to such situations from the international community
because of bureaucracy and lack of the will. They were airlifted out in the movie Hotel Rwanda,
while the Rwandans were left to be butchered. According to Kuol (2019), such processes and
undertakings would fail and would lengthen the duration of conflict and deplete the credibility of
international systems. Each of these failures in the film raises the questions for the radicals of the
critical, ethical and pragmatic responsibilities of the global actors in availing of the genocide. But
it highlights into focus the “subtle” discrepancies between the written and actual in the
implementation of international human rights regime. They are a failure and they show more
profound defects of the contemporary system of world regulation, and its ability to overcome
such a conflict immediately.
International indifferent in Hotel Rwanda speaks louder about the misconceptions of
cultural and ethnic differences in the same way. Carothers and O’donohue (2019) argue that
these conflicts, one being herders versus farmers or other conflicts of the same kind, are seen by
global actors as other conflicts of which politics and systems are unable to capture. However, in
the case of Rwanda, this same mischaracterization was partly instrumental in producing the non-
interference policy. Allsopp and Van Wilgenburg (2019) argue that in order to be effective, any
intervention has to be rooted in deep understanding of context including cultural and historical
features in the conflict. This lack is shown in the film by the fact that the UN was overwhelmed,
they had neither money nor power to stop the violent action. Davies (2021) further stated that
many global actions find a better response when culture sensitive and engagement strategies are
employed to address culture related causes. These failures are thus being exposed, so that an
awareness is created that current global systems fail in dealing with these postmodern ethnic
dilemmas, and that there is a need of change. It too should cause global actors to reconsider their
strategy, and protect the vulnerable rather than political expediency. Even though these lessons
are applicable to other related calamities in future.
Misconceptions About Small People’s Making of Violence
Using the Rwandan brutalities depicted in Hotel Rwanda, we demonstrate how grassroots
violence is grounded in an evident fact that difference in cultural context incurs cultural hostility
that is manifested in atrocious acts of genocide. According to the film, ordinary Hutus attack
Tutsis; propaganda and fear explains that. Shaw and Wong (2020) argue that cultural
misunderstandings become so severe that they precipitate perceptions of threat that trigger
collective violence. The article of 2019 by Kuol has indicated that the grassroots violence is
mostly portrayed by severed norms and relational contracts which are better portrayed in the
movie about the illegal communities. Actions of Hutu civilians in Hotel Rwanda can prove to be
believable enough for rumors and personal fear to turn noncombatants into actors of mass
atrocities. A need to address perceived cultural differences in rural and other usual communities
against such advancement is further underscored here. The brutal killing of Tutsis throughout the
movie shows how such a division can seep through into even civil relationships, making. The
film demonstrates the shift of the social territories, like neighbors’ and markets, areas into the
places of horror.
The other important area highlighted in the movie is the part played by local leaders in
maintaining the grassroots violence. According to Davies, (2021) the community practices
normalize violence authored by the leadership. In Hotel Rwanda, in fact, locals and militia
leaders rallied civilians by accusing them of laziness in order to protect their compatriots. They
clearly stated that this often culminates into cycles of violence that are very hard to interrupt
because people are socialized into the system as Visaka’s global findings of 2020 show. Through
the portrayal of propaganda and the implication of the local military units, the movie describes it.
Shaw and Wong (2020) outline that online or virtual grassroots violence is the term used to
describe the (very) significant yet unrecognized violent underbelly of social, political and
cultural conflicts. This makes the specific knowledge of the role of the rooted cultural
differences in the localized violence and the need for different types of approaches to deal with
such a problem in this respect by emphasizing of these dynamics in Hotel Rwanda. They record
as well how localized violence aggravates the stain of the national crisis, in ways that change the
social landscape forever. This is one of the dire reasons why social based reconciliation projects
need to be implemented to try and fix these divisions, as the film shows.
Crossovers between the Movie Plot and a Real-Life Scenario
The events in the Hotel Rwanda remember real-life conflicts, and show how cultural
tensions and misconceptions can lead to actions and non-actions that lead to violence. The
Rwanda genocide is a perfect example to illustrate when the ethnic difference was used to
mobilize for genocide. Kuol (2019) states that historical hostility between Hutus and Tutsis in
Rwanda was compounded more by the colonists who endowed ethnic categorizations. In the film
all these dynamics are depicted clearly through the systemized persecution of the Tutsis as it
happened in 1994. Shaw and Wong (2020) claim that intentional dehumanization of the Tutsi
population especially by the media was key to mobilizing mass violence. These depictions are
seen in Hutus using media to brand Tutsis as “cockroaches”, they incite genocide of the Tutsis.
Such patterns make the audience clearly see that cultural manipulation, as well as the lack of
solving the issues of the past, lead to a genocide. These similarities imply that there is still a lot
to be understood about cultural differences motivating conflicts in the future. It is only through
portraying action based realist representation of ethnic conflict that the film is able to assert that
negation of such ethnic conflict is disastrous.
The film also associates other processes of violence typical for other wars in other parts
of the globe related to ethnic and cultural differences. According to Carothers and O'Donohue
(2019), the genocide of Bosniaks, Croats and other groups in former Yugoslavia and Bosnia and
Herzegovina in 1990s provides another example of how and nationalist and cultural differences
which could be taught using tolerance education can be used to embolden violence. As also
noted by Davies (2021), the exploitation of propaganda was also used to perpetuate the necessary
social divisions and to summon the population to extremes in Rwanda and Bosnia. Similarly,
Visoka (2020) also reveals that nationalism creates and sustains ethnic enmity; Serbian forces for
example targeted Bosniaks. The real essence of Hutuels which we see in Hotel Rwanda is that
the war is similar to World War II in every aspect, even though it is a local conflict we also get to
see de humanization and propaganda. This absence of international intervention in both Rwanda
and Bosnia heightens only the relevance of the film. Which should be stressed, the world once
again stayed passive and did not intervene in the growth of the tensions. The ethnic conflicts are
identical in different countries, which is why there is a need to strengthen the development of
preventive activities. The establishing of such real life relations, Hotel Rwanda provide a
somewhat valuable perspective for viewing general cultural conflicts.
Lessons from Film’s Narrative
The story of Hotel Rwanda presents lessons on the causes and perhaps how cultures can
be managed to prevent conflict. The other important lesson learnt it the need to repay cultural
misunderstandings before they are personalized and turned into violence. In this study, adopting
the stance of Kuol (2019) the argument is that interethnic tensions can be contained through
early interventions which include efforts at fostering dialogue and conceptualization of
governance. The film |Thus, deals with the mentioned problem in actions of the main character,
Paul Rusesabagina, who used his position to save Tutsis from Hutu militia. Writing for The
Conversation, Shaw and Wong (2020) note that the actions of individuals can help prevent the
escalation of violent (and sometimes fatal) behaviors, even if their institutions do not, or cannot,
get it right. Paul educates and cares for his new culture as he shows how hostile culture can be
before embracing an entirely new culture on his own. Kuol (2019) adds that, importantly, the
film points to the question of cultural policing and shows how locals can participate in post-
conflict reconciliation. These lessons are more important especially in settings where state
authorities are involved in the perpetration of violence or where state authorities are unable to
prevent the same.
The final key lesson which people can learn from the movie Hotel Rwanda is that, international
systems should sometime devote attention on culturally sensitive proactive approach. It is found
that lack of intervention of the international society in Rwanda’s genocide poses questions to the
current technical approaches to cultural dilemmas. From the literature reviewed in this paper,
Visaka (2020) highlighted that there is something about conflict-international response that
depends on understanding cultural and history settings. From this film I understand that the
outside world just waited, never focused on some signs that aggravated the violence in a way that
the Rwanda people were left to solve the problem themselves. According to Davies (2021) this
has showed the absence of system and structure in the global governance system, whereby
consideration of politics rules out consideration of suffering of people. Hotel Rwanda just
created awareness on the sad reality that these systems need to be reinvented to be able to
address the next conflicts at all. This, having described those lessons, the film in the same vein is
an answer for such skeptically indifferent concerning the issues as cultural ones and conflicts. To
Davies (2021), they are helpful to establish the best ideas and approach towards eradicating
ethnic problems in the global arena.
Escalation and Resolution Insights
Are fear and mistrust the causes of tensions?
This is in agreement with the fact that fear and mistrust are some of the main causes of
conflict since they are tension accelerators and slow down conflict solving. Through the movie
Hotel Rwanda fear is shown to be a recurrent event that drives various communities to new
levels of violence culture and propaganda included. According to Ojiambo, (2019) fear stems
from past ills and perceived danger which political leaders mobilize communities against their
rivals. In the movie fear was portrayed by the Hutu regime as something that was posed by the
Tutsis to the Hutu civil populace which they had to eliminate before they could be attacked by
the Tutsis. This situation made relations between pariah states to be characterized by hostility
and this ruled out the dialogue as well as harmonious coexistence. As Tale (2019) pointed out,
fear is not something that is born out of some kind of threat but it is transmitted from one
generation to the next as part of people’s belief system; that is why even if people no longer have
reasons to be afraid they will still be afraid. It does this through showing that even when the
Hutus and the Tutsis are in the same environment whether in the camps for refugees they remain
suspicious of each other. The psychological outcomes of the fear displayed in the social relations
and institutions of the Hotel Rwanda are portrayed in this context.
Ignorance and suspicion, propaganda warfare, and past misdeeds make it impossible for
either side to decide to cease hostilities in a conflict. Based on Esman (2019), mistrust is the best
policy in a divided nation since it justifies the protective measures that contribute to more
violence. In the movie Hotel Rwanda, betrayal is most evident because the Hutu extremist parties
do not think that the Tutsi BD group has any good intention towards them. As the one that is
given most easily, according to McDoom (2023), corresponds to institutionalized mistrust which
remains the major barrier to reconciliation in the post-conflict society. The movie depicts this
reality through an exhibition of how almost all the human interactions, personal and corporate,
deteriorate with heightened paranoia. These dynamics help to explain why fear and mistrust are
not just the outcomes of warfare, but are directly linked to the causes of the conflict and require
to be exposed in order that the peoples may address such a conflict to its very roots and put an
end to it. Fear and mistrust is seen in the movie as being causes of conflict and are early warning
signs that should be looked for in societies that are most likely to split.
The Failure of Diplomacy in Managing Overcoming Escalation
Sacha severance’s Hotel Rwanda show that diplomacy cannot solve ethnic and cultural
conflicts National and supranational diplomacy was weakened by competing interests,
bureaucracy, and lack of speed which let the violence getting out of hand. McDoom (2023)
through his argument on diplomacy notes that diplomatic mishaps are tend to be connected to
another which shows that these external actors cannot be in a position to understand or relate
with the cultural dimensions of conflicts. The world sept apart is depicted in this movie through
the failed UN peace keepers who perform their activities irresponsible manners due to strict
adherence to rules and regulation and lack of adequate logistics to perform their duties. As
pointed by Bazzi and Gudgeon (2021), most of the limitations result in a slow response which
allows the culprit to continue with the act. In the movie Hotel Rwanda, the situation was very
dire, but the rest of the world, including the world’s superpowers, did not define the killings as
genocide and therefore did not feel the pressure to act. According to Durbin (2019), this shows
that political actions that are diplomatic, culturally sensitive and proactive are essential than
those that are reactive. This is the depiction of the diplomacy that was an utter failure to prevent
a war in a certain continent and this depiction bring out the theme of globalization indifference
and calls for changes in the current international system in order to fashion out ways and means
of dealing with a crisis as it unfolds.
Trust as a part of the preventive mechanism
Trust plays a very significant role in neutralizing conflicts and HIP for the purpose of
establishing enduring prevention and lasting reconstitution. Tale (2019) says of particular interest
is the aspect of trust that seems to run throughout the movie Hotel Rwanda where Paul
Rusesabagina was in a position to use it to intervene and negotiate in the middle of the holocaust.
Eko and Putranto notes that in order to foster trust there is need to make efforts towards the
identification of the source of frustrations that are likely to arise from culture differences within a
society. In the series, as a bid to try and span across the Hutus and Tutsis within the hotel, Paul’s
actions can be seen as him trying to explore the power of trust in the middle of the killings.
According to Tale (2019), interest-based trust is deemed to be the most unique since it is built on
the self-interests, and this is true for Paul and UN forces who both work towards protecting the
civilians. Trust plays a significant role in communication and also get rid of the fear that grows
mistrust and conflicts. According to Ojiambo (2019), the various trust building agendas need to
be fortified so that the outcomes can be sustained and are a new norm. This is because trust is
continuously portrayed as the remedy to conflict and as a small example of this, the movie shows
how trust results in less conflict in societies that are split.
Individuals erasing cultural differences at the workplace
People will continue to descry the conflict where organizations have inadequate ability to
resolve the conflict. In the movie Hotel Rwanda, a character Paul Rusesabagina is a clear
example of how individual determinism can triumph over segmentary culture. From the actions
of Paul it is possible to see how the positive idea of individual’s efforts to challenge stereotype
and promote understanding can be achieved even in the context of war. In the view of McDoom
(2023), these people always make sure that they forum and seek some form of protection even
when structures remain discriminative. In the movie, Paul employs diplomacy bargaining to save
lives of the people seeking shelter in the hotel with Hutu leaders and other international actors.
According to Tale (2019), cross cultural reality bearers are always the forces of sympathy and
optimism; moral levers of society during our moments of despair. The effort which Paul applies
are evident to the assertion that sometimes the action of the individual can mitigate the impact of
the narratives in a conflict; making his story to be a classic example of grassroots reconciliation.
This area also has to do with citizens’ capacity to enable the flow and to enable the doing
and the creating of society. In the opinion of Durbin (2019) of the East Palestine protestors such
roles are usually occupied by societal provocateurs whose aim is to challenge people out of
conformities and superstition. In the movie Hotel Rwanda, Paul rally people at the hotel and this
causes group cohesiveness. According to Eko and Putranto (2021), the implementation of such
efforts should be anchored on value-based rationale and rhetorical of justice. The movie shows
Paul’s sensitivity to cultural and political details as evidence of the ways in which individual
action can mediate conflict. Unlike other movies that depict cultural division as a societal issue,
Hotel Rwanda is in a way an American film that embraces the spirit of individualism,
responsibility, and leadership as depicted in the character of Paul. This plot means that if people
will do, systematical change is inevitable but personal actions described in the described story
can become a strong base for the process of creating peace and reconciliation.
Managing Ethnic Conflict
From the movie Hotel Rwanda, the following lessons can be deduced as to how to
manage ethnic conflict; Cultural differences should be addressed, there is the need to build trust
in order to share power, also outside intervention should be timely to avoid being too late. This is
quite enlightening in the sense that several of the strategies listed should be directed to early
conflict prevention so that conflict does not escalate. A practical way of minimizing such
possibility is to accept structural disparities and previous injustices as pointed out by Bazzi and
Gudgeon (2021). It does this through process of, showing how not solving grievances and
propaganda can turn what was a schism into a holocaust. According to Ojiambo, the people
needed to dialogue with a view to creating a dialogue before the formulation of the reparation
process. In regard this concept, the movie provides incidences of people’s civic initiatives for
instance Paul Rusesabagina who tried to rally the people when there was only splitting. McDoom
(2023) identified that it is also the culture driven by structures like structure, governance and
resource allocation that also expressed ethnic sentiments. All these elements are evident in the
movie Hotel Rwanda, thus it is possible to offer an explanation of how ethnic conflict can be
understood and eradicated, and how to guide decision makers and the citizens. It is necessary,
therefore, that these lessons have been taught and made known to today’s societies whenever
they are seeking to deal with the problems of the cultural lenses in their societies, and increase
their call for adopting a better way of handling such issues.
Real-World Applications and Relevance
Social Class as a Factor during Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan genocide is the best example of how cultural differences can lead to
genocide when left unaddressed or unsolved. One of the best examples which are used to
describe Hutu and Tutsis ethnic tension with regards to the way how colonialists approach ethnic
relations and manipulation of such relations to people and transformation of grieves into ethnic
weapons. As stated by Gustafsson (2024) colonial masters preferred minority Tutsi over the Hutu
majority this led to inequality and the foundation of bitterness. Another example of this hostile
relation was seen in Hotel Rwanda because the Hutu dominated government was deliberately
inciting the population by use of propaganda and political demagoguery. In the analysis of
Mwambari (2023), victimization and fear are markers of cultural othering as a demographic
disaster that makes living together an impossibility. The genocide also demonstrated how these
cleavages were effective in mobilizing people in participating in acts of violence against other
people – other citizens – the potential harm that unprotected cultural confrontation may pose. In
light of the matter discussed in the film, the structural aspect of the culture, as well as the
psychological or emotional dimension of the conflict between the two groups, Hutu and Tutsi is
discussed. According to Shepard (2019), the desired solution is where the division could only be
solved by the long-term strategies that are aimed at connecting the efforts and restoring the lost
trust between the communities. This is why the circumstance should engage the issue from the
structural-level disparities and not the violence of cultural difference. The events in Rwanda also
show how much culture can divide society in a country hence the need to deal with social trauma
acts. Underlying the need to deepen the understand of these dynamics, is the need to prevent
other such crises in other cultural diverse societies.
The coverage of cultural tensions during the genocide by the media points to the role of
communication in conflict escalation. As put by Dallaire (2019), the Rwandan media mainly, the
RTLM, played a crucial role in the normalization of genocide and promotion of violence. This is
though best depicted in the movie Hotel Rwanda where in the Hutu believed that they were
fighting for their nation as they killed Tutsis through radio broadcasted gruesome acts.
According to Shepard (2019), the message is simple, hate media campaigns sustain systematic
hatred of some cultures and dehumanize the targeted groups to justify brutalities that are meted
on these groups thus making it easier for the society to accept them. This means that in order to
prevent such future occurrences, the regulation of media as a passing differentiation means a
apparatus should be put in place to reign in on any society in handy when hatred speech cloud
over the society. For these divisions to be addressed it also calls for structural change but also a
counter narrative to the stories that support these divides. Mwambari (2023) says that post-
conflict analysis that media reform is imperative so that the media does not become a tool for
promoting ethnic division is a valid assertion. It can be seen that propaganda has a special
function of defining the set of orientations within a culture. It is important to set measures
against content that is misleading or rather holds prejudice views. This also underlines why the
Rwandan genocide remains defining for studies concerned with the closely related questions of
culture, power, and violence in today’s wars. It also underscores the fact that a role of media
literacy should be assigned within the framework of as peace-building strategies.
Ethnic Conflicts of the World and Its Relations
Marshall is able to demonstrate that cultural dissociations and violence patterns seen in
Case I Rwandan genocide are also present in other ethnic conflicts. Ethnic cleansing of Bosniaks
in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war in the 1990s has much in common
with the Rwandese case. As pointed out by Naula (2019) propaganda was used to create fear and
make sure that violence was right while some sections of the population were portrayed as a
danger to the rest. Similarly, in Rwanda Hutu leaders and media made Tutsis their enemies, the
same way that Serbs in Bosnia used SS media to incite Bosniaks into genocide. In the view of
Gustafsson (2024), these are classic examples of how cultural polarization happens across the
globe as political leaders exploit history to gain political ground. The same trends were observed
across the globe and therefore the differences in cultures or understanding how they fuel violence
and what can be done to prevent them. This is evidenced by the impacts of propaganda in these
conflicts therefore it is clear that the fight against hate speech, fake news is not limited to one
country. Thus, Rwanda and Bosnia for example, show that the international community is either
able to prevent such violence or contribute to it. This failure of early signs in such cases calls for
effective early intervention measures to be put in place.
Sudan and Uganda conflicts are similar in the sense that differences in ethnicity and
culture are used to cover up for the murder. According to Dusabe (2019), the government
sponsored violence against non-Arab Sudanese people in the Darfur region of Sudan is similar to
Rwandan genocide where ethnic identity is used to include and eliminate some people. In same
way, Naula (2019) has pointed out that the ethnic conflict narrative has been well-captured in the
Ugandan cultural discourse that sees one ethnic group as superior to the other. In both cases, as
was the situation in Rwanda propaganda and state sanctioned violence were major causes of an
escalation of cultural conflicts to cultural wars. These parallels suggest that there is always a
certain stage at which intervention in relation to these cultures is possible; failure to make such
intervention results in conflict and war, and the destruction of the inferior culture. On such
interventions, Mwambari (2023) states that grassroots methods must take place in order to regain
the trust of the public in conflicting stories and they also show that ethnic conflicts have some
structural features such as inequality, marginalization and unfavorable governance. In order to
develop effective policies that can help in preventing violence it is useful to understand these
dynamics. When compared to Rwanda these conflicts provide a good perspective on ethnic
conflicts with an aim of replicating preventive measures.
Different international approaches to Cultural struggles
Concerning the Rwandan genocide especially the international response was criticized for
its inaction and lack of provision of lessons for the future. Dallaire using his experience says that
the international community of states was busy focusing on the needs of their political ventures
and therefore failed to act to stop the violence. This is clearly seen in Hotel Rwanda through the
indifference picture of the UN peacekeeping force as complements the theme of urgency of the
genocide. The violence that happened was not classified as genocide by the International Actors
and so they avoided the legal and moral obligation to act, as Folarin (2023) has noted. Rwanda is
a special case where the lack of understanding of cultural differences on the international level
has led to the wrong assessment of the real level of conflicts and their potential consequences
and hinder actions which should have been done. In particular, as Gustafsson (2024) put it, the
incompetent international actors involved in making decisions about the genocide did not have
cultural understanding. To cater for these gaps there is the need to make a paradigm shift in the
multilateral system of governance in order to ensure early and effective response to similar
disasters. In this regard, it is important to mention that failures of globalization depicted in the
film should be considered as requiring a separate analysis since such setbacks should challenge
the international society to think about proper approaches to cultural conflicts. Improving the
capacity of training and material in the peacekeeping may be helpful for enhancing the
peacekeeping operation in the compound conflicts.
Similarly, the weakness of intervention is also observed in post-genocide Rwanda and it
also explores the challenges and contradictions of reconciliation. The bulk of the enormous
international support aimed at reconstruction of Rwanda after the genocide fell on education as
the main sector of transformation. To this, Folarin (2023) has noted that many of such efforts
were commendable but they did not take into consideration the cultural structures that facilitated
the genocide. This proves that there is need to expand the scope of the measures that must be
bearing in mind cultural diplomacy as one of the main factors of assistance along with the
political and economic one. In the view of Dusabe (2019), reconciliation may only be
accomplished if international actors sustain funding and support for small accomplishments of
the people in the process of restoring their confidence in the communities. Rwanda has not had
the best experience in the international community and adding on to these cultural interventions
have not been successful and should not be used as a way of coming up with positive solutions.
These remain lessons relevant as world powers face such experiments in Myanmar or Ethiopia
amongst other countries. Another is for sustainable peace cooperation to be made between the
local and the global it is another important key. Improving the collaboration with these levels
will allow continuing and even improving the delivery of culturally sensitive and effective
treatments.
Some things to know about today’s conflict.
The Rwandan genocide, for example, can tell us much about the nature of modern
cultural wars; the emphasis here must be on the causes rather than the consequences. Mwambari
(2023) noted that most cultural conflict conflicts stem from historical injustices and social
relations hence need to be solved in order to prevent conflict. In the film Hotel Rwanda these
dynamics include; The Hutu-Tutsi ethnic tension which had been longstanding and propaganda
and political manipulation. According to Gustafsson (2024) it is quite useful to know the
historical and cultural background of a conflict if one has to work out an intervention plan. The
genocide shows that measures should be made to prevent that since society has flaws that make
culture an isolated region of prejudice, isolation, and rejection. According to Mwambari (2023),
these are invaluable lessons vital for policy consultations and purposes of preventing and solving
the conflict of today. When one feels that a situation might change from being a conflict then it
becomes important to prevent such a conflict. In the same regard Rwandan experience
demonstrate that only the interventions that directly target the root cause of the conflicts are
viable at the community level. The social science disciplines should utilize the lessons learned to
disseminate an understanding of the ethnic rivalries of the world to the policy-makers.
Modern wars also indicated that there is a concern of cultural integration; and where it is
lacking as a method of halting divisional wars. Shepard (2019) concedes that the communities
that balance power will probably embrace diversity and avoid violence. They also warn against
ethno political democracy; however, focusing power in one ethno political group is bound to
cause ethno cultural enmity, which has been most vividly described by Rwandan genocide.
Folarin (2023) has recently noted in some of his work that Rwandans have sought to establish
inclusive institutions in the post-genocide and reconstruction era; and that these institutions have
been pivotal in the processes of stability with regard to reconciliation. All these lessons are
relevant to the current culture based conflict in the society where there are cultural conflicts that
lead to violence and social violence. Interestingly, as informed by Mwambari (2023) cultural
necessity, it notes that cultural diversity requires time to grow through a stronger and more
sustainable education system and better governance. The understanding of culture and power and
governance becomes important in the pursuit of sustainable peace building projects in
multicultural societies. These lessons also suggest that structural & relational issues require to be
addressed if the issue of violence is to be addressed.
Conclusion and Broader Lessons
Key Insights from Analysis
Proving the details of Hotel Rwanda proves the importance of Culture Clash and how
Culture Clash is very instrumental in fanning conflict and the pattern of social relations. The film
is also the best way of putting into perspective how historical injustices and gross propaganda,
political manipulation culminates to holocaust. Mwambari (2023) explain that these divides were
anticipated to be erased through structural changes together with bottom up processes of
reconciliation to heal such social relations. The lessons learnt from Rwanda have been largely on
the fact that, should cultural conflicts be allowed to remain, they will be allowed to fester.
Gustafsson (2024), indicates that when developing strategies for future peace building, context,
history and cultural relationships to conflict strategies must be well understood. In film the
international community fails to respond adequately and culturally appropriate to the wrong
time. In a way the revelation in the movie Hotel Rwanda clearly shows that breakages of the
ethic and cultural barriers do not only exist in Rwanda, but are globally recognized and embraced
means of identifying and managing such breakages. Indeed, these lessons teach that one has to
avoid and solve, by the use of proactive activities and comprehensible governance, the modern
cultural conflict. Based on these patterns of the emergence, it is possible to integrate local and
global approaches to specify, identify, and eliminate the sources of the conflict and to contribute
to stability on the case of a society.
Some Potential Consequences of Peacemaking
However, it means much more than the film shows of the Hotel Rwanda story as the
strong Lexicon of today’s and future conflicts. It demonstrates the warmth of acceptances or
simple acknowledgment that we should try to understand and trust each other as divided
(societies). Shepard (2019) argues that as much as the government might come up with beautiful
strategies and beautiful plans to promote promotion of harmony in the society, it is the
community reconciliation programs that have a lasting impact with the regard to this
achievement because they are real life programs of by everyday people for everyday people. Just
like Folarin (2023) has noted that sustainable peace essentially requires a giving in that any
political resolution of conflicts is only feasible if it aligns with cultural, economic and power
reforms. Rwandan lessons also indicate role of internationals to attend to what cultural processes
are taking hold in conflict regions so that they can take suitable and timely action. According to
Mwambari (2023), he begins tentative discussion with a vow that in an effort to solve seldom
and abstract causes of conflict, overall power of locals, national and global actors is required. If
cultures work to integrate other cultures and keep aggression away, societies can brew up ideas
that will fail prove peace. Hotel Rwanda could finally be seen as a spectacular one for
maintaining cultural discord to appropriately attract expert attention in building a just society for
mankind.
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