Paul Rusesabagina

Activist Type

Human Rights

Paul Rusesabagina is a Rwandan human rights activist and author who famously hid and protected 1,268 Hutu and Tutsi refugees from the Interahamwe militia while working as a concierge at the Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali in the midst of the Rwandan Genocide. His heroism was the subject of the film Hotel Rwanda which was nominated for several Academy Awards.

Rusesabagina went on to establish the Hotel Rwanda Rusesabagina Foundation, which fights for human rights around the world. Rusesabagina has been the recipient of many accolades and awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, which he received in 2005.

Artwork by

Johnny Selman

Imigongo art is made from cow dung and was traditionally used to decorate huts, pottery, and canvas with geometric patterns and spirals of black, white, red, and grey. The art was almost totally wiped out in the 1994 Genocide, but it has fortunately been saved and is enjoying a return to Rwandan culture.

Rwanda

Capital

Kigali

Founded

July 1, 1962

Demonym

Rwandan