A few days ago, I finished reading a book which chronicled the events of the Rwanda genocide of 1994, the months leading up to it, and of course, the aftermath. It was written by an Officer in the Canadian Army, Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire, the man who was Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR). The General lived and worked in Rwanda for a year, and was one of the few voices warning the United States and the UN that something awful was brewing in that tiny central African country. He lived in the heart of the genocide and civil war, and though he witnessed the mass killings (it is approximated that 800,000 people were murdered and close to 2 million were displaced/became refugees), he and his troops were able to save thousands.
It was one of the most important books I've ever read, and one that I wish more people knew about. It's the sort of book that breaks your heart, makes your stomach turn, and is at the same time a testament to the will that some exercise on behalf of their fellow men and women.
What follows are excerpts from the conclusion:
At its heart, the Rwandan story is the story of the failure of humanity to heed a call for help from an endangered people. The international community, of which the UN is only a symbol, failed to move beyond self-interest for the sake of Rwanda. While most nations agreed that something should be done, they all had an excuse for why they should not be the ones to do it. As as result, the UN was denied the political will and material means to prevent the tragedy...We have fallen back on the yardstick of national self-interest to measure which portions of the planet we allow ourselves to be concerned about. In the twenty-first century, we cannot affort to tolerate single failed state, ruled by ruthless and self-serving dictators, arming and brainwashing a generation of potential warriors to export mayhem and terror around the world. Rwanda was a warning to us all of what lies in store if we continue to ignore human rights, human security, and abject poverty.
Several times in this book I have asked the question, "Are we all human, or are some more human than others?" Certainly we in the developed world act in a way that suggests we believe that our lives are worth more than the lives of other citizens on the planet. [When I requested American troops for the assistance mission in Rwanda] An American officer felt no shame as he informed me that the lives of 800,000 Rwandans were only worth risking the lives of ten American troops; the Belgians, after losing ten soldiers [on the first day of the genocide], insisted that the lives of Rwandans were not worth risking another single Belgian soldier. The only conclusion I can reach is that we are in desperate need of a transfusion of humanity. If we believe that all humans are human, then how are we going to prove it? It can only be proven through our actions. Through the dollars we are prepared to expend to improve conditions in the Third World, through the time and energy we devote to solving devastating problems like AIDS, through the lives of our soldiers, which we are prepared to sacrifice for the sake of humanity.
As soldiers we have been used to moving mountains to protect our own sovereignty or risks to our way of life. In the future we must be prepared to move beyond national self-interest to spend our resources and spill our blood for humanity. We have lived through centuries of enlightenment, reason, revolution, industrialization, and globalization. No matter how idealistic the aim sounds, this new century must become the Century of Humanity, when we as human beings rise above race, creed, colour, religion and national self-interest and put the good of humanity above the good of our own tribe. For the sake of the children [who are now orphans in Rwanda] and of our future.
Peux ce que veux. Allons-y. [Translation: Where there's a will, there's a way. Let's go.]
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In the last few years I have come to feel that my "calling," so to speak, is to work in the humanitarian field, to help those whom often don't have the resources to help themselves, those generally overlooked by the rest of us - that is to say, the bulk of those in the Developing World. I want to do something of substance, something that requires personal sacrifice. And this is what I've come to feel is most worth my time, talents, and effort.
General Dallaire's is the sort of plan that I can get behind. I truly hope that enough people in this country will do their homework, become angered enough and can put their wishes in action, and that we can somehow force a re-evaluation of 'our' priorities. Then, we must act accordingly. It is unfortunate, but a good deal of the world will not act except in concert with, or at least with the approval of, the United States.
There's a world beyond our borders, with people just as lovely and worthwhile as ourselves. We need to work to legitimize their existence instead of imposing our will, or - in the worst of cases - ignoring them altogether.
I have to thank Gen. Dallaire for reminding me of that. And for renewing my conviction to continue on the path to Africa...and perhaps, beyond.
I think I'll write him a letter.
Allons-y.
p.s. Read this book: Shake Hands with The Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda by Lt. Gen. Roméo Dallaire
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