District 9

Fisher - District 9

District 9, produced by Peter Jackson and directed by Johannesburg native Neill Blomkamp, is a science fiction film used to portray a scene of a partide. The science fiction genre was chosen to press social and racial issues as well as problems with the government. Its takes on an informative standpoint being shot in a documentary style. The movie follows the path of Wikus Van Der Merwe. Wikus is charged with the task of overseeing the eviction of an extraterrestrial species labeled as "prawns."

Only ten minutes into the film, the viewer comes across two issues that correlate with previous topics. We see during the interviews at the beginning of the film a man refer to these aliens as "prawns." A woman explains later that this is a derogatory term used for the alien that references them to crustacean bottom-feeders or scavengers. Immediately after her comment, an officer (authority figure) says, "well that's what they look like right? They look like prawns." This can be linked to the movie Hotel Rwanda when then Hutus are constantly referring the Tutsis as "cockroaches" and treating them as such. Yet this is not the only time that and place that a derogatory term is used to label the "other" or outsider. Most every race and culture has a similar term for anyone other than themselves. It is no coincidence then that the human citizens in District 9 refer to the aliens as "prawns."

The other issue is the ensuing eviction of the aliens from District 9 in order to relocate them to another camp. This can refer back to Pow Wow Highway and the attempt to remove the Indians from their reserve, given to them by the government. The aliens own District 9 can be viewed as a reservation that was given to them by the earth's government and now they are to be evicted. Wikus even makes a statement that is similar to the colonial mindset toward the Native American saying, "they don't understand the concept or private property. So we have to come there and say, 'Hey, this is our land. Please, will you go.'" However, District 9 is less like Indian reservations and more like the Jewish ghettos or possibly Sarajevo in the sense of there slum state of living. Trash fills the streets and the housing is composed of shacks assorted from sheet metal and scraps of junk. Blomkamp made it to look like the apartheid in South Africa. In this version of apartheid we see the aliens treated as the Africans were in the 20th century; they were separated from the humans, just as the blacks were from the whites. The aliens were classified and labeled by MNU and the humans, this being a similar theme in everything that was covered in the class. The Nazis classified the Jews and homosexuals. The Hutus and Tutsis had classified one another. Africans during the apartheid were forced to carry identification at all times. Classification seems to be centered genocide and racist acts.

The Scars of Genocide Run Deep

Fisher - The Scars of Genocide Run Deep

This weeks blog is on the genocide that occurred in Rwanda over a 100 day period in 1994. Over this period of time 800,000 were reported dead, not including any disappearances. The total death toll was 1,000,000+ ; if you do the simple math, that is an average of 10,000 people a day being killed. Much like Sarajevo of last week's blog, these events went on unnoticed. They were muffled by the media as they pushed the 1994 World Cup, held in America for the first time, to the front headlines. The world was captivated by the build up to the largest attended World Cup to date. Needless to say, Rwanda did not qualify, had they, maybe the headlines would have been different. This is the second event that we have discussed in two weeks whose story was hidden from the public. I am sensing a correlation here between genocide and media cover-up. One would think it would be the opposite. Does not bad news and death catch the public's attention easier than good news? Would not the reporting of mass genocide put your company to the top? And they could still cover the World Cup. I see no reason to stifle these stories. They contain graphic images, survival stories, mass killings, all things that would fascinate an average human being. Food for thought.

In order to get a better picture of the happenings in Rwanda, the class was assigned to read Murambi, the Book of Bones and watch Hotel Rwanda. These follow the lives of a few who were involved in these horrific events. The book, written by Boubacar Boris Diop a journalist and nine other African writers, was an attempt of remembrance of what happened during the genocide. To do this, the writers went to Rwanda in order to see and hear for themselves in order to do justice to the story. The story is split into four parts, but follows Cornelius Uvimana, a young history teacher who returns to Rwanda from exile to find his family, except for his uncle, dead. His uncle, Siméon Habineza, was present when all this happened yet he remains vigil each day as he bears the weight of his experiences. The book speaks to the reader with voices of the victims and the perpetrators. It also rejects the idea of retaliation as a way of repentance. This is very forward thinking and would be difficult for any man/woman/child who was wronged in this manner to do. However, it is a good idea to preach as retaliation would only lead to more suffering and death which would most likely continue the circle of violence and vengeance.

The movie follows Paul Rusesabagina a Hutu hotel manager. He works at a European hotel in Rwanda and is left to run the place after all the white managent leaves, fearing for their lives. He turns the hotel into a shelter, saving the lives of 1,268 Tutsis including his own wife and children. The movie contains many graphic images and scenes that attempt to shock the viewer into the realization of what was actually occurring. It was full on hate crimes being committed again the Tutsis by the Hutus. This came from the Tutsis having precedence over the Hutus due the their more angular features, heighth, and lighter skin. Therefore, they received better education, living quarters, and working conditions. The Hutus took up arms (supplied by China) against the Tutsis in attempt to "exterminate the cockroach infestation", referring to the Tutsis as insects. And they were treated as such, without any regard for human life. This can be compared to the Nazi's subjugation and eradication of European Jews. The Nazis viewed Jews as less than human or "life not deserving of life" and saw their own race as superior. In Rwanda there was the difference that the Tutsis originally were held in higher regard and the lower class tribe took the initiative. How odd would it have been for the Jews to have subjugated the German people? Scary right?