Why No One helped?

As part of the cultural preparation for the project in Rwanda, we make the students watch the movie “Hotel Rwanda”, which dramatise an event that took place at Hotel Des Mille Collines during the genocide.  When the movie was finished, we asked the students to express their thoughts.  

One of the students asked, not surprisingly, something along the lines of: “When the genocide in Rwanda ws taking place, why didn’t the United Nations, or other powerful countries, intervene? When innocent people were brutally murdered, why didn’t anyone stop the killers?”Another added: “It is not just Rwanda, the same is happening to Somalia, Sudan, Gaza, …”

That is an excellent question that many have asked.  Some pointed out that both the victims and the killers were black Africans.  While many of the countries in a position to intervene were white, or at least non-black.  The people of these countries do not feel particularly connected with the people of Rwanda.  The conflict in Rwanda was internal and of little interest to these countries.  And intervening involved significant determination, commitment and resources.  Hence the indifference.   

We should ask the same of ourselves.  Are we disturbed, even outraged by these acts of cruelty, gross injustice?   If so, what have we done to help? Probably not much.  Perhaps for the same reasons for those countries that we are challenging?  If we have not cared enough to take action, what right do we have to blame others?

Come to think of it.  If the victims are family, close friends, or someone we have a strong bond with, we will certainly more strongly compelled to act, even at great cost or risk to ourselves.  So the degree of connection between us is a strong determinant of our motivation to help each other.  

That turns our to be one of the objectives of international service-learning as we practice it.  Take Rwanda as an example.  Since we started our project here, hundreds of students and staff from PolyU have been to Rwanda.  Many have developed strong bonds with the people of the country.  They/we have certainly shared our experiences with our colleagues, friends, family.  PolyU have recruited a number of students from Rwanda.  Some of them have already graduated, and some of them are actually working for us, on our projects in their own country at the moment as I write.  More will certainly come this way.  Some Rwandan applicants have said that they have heard of our service-learning projects in Rwanda and would like to participate in them.  In a tangible way, we have brought Rwandans and HongKongers closer to each other.  For some of them anyway.   Beyond Rwanda, we have also been working on Cambodia, Vietnam, Thailand, Indonesia, Myanmar, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, South Africa, …

The effect as a whole may still be small considering the vastness of the world and its problems.  But the impact on the individuals involved can be quite significant and even transformational. Many have been back to Rwanda multiple times.  At least one has been there 16 times!  And the hope is that more will join in that effort, and others like it.