A Linguistic Reading of the Metaphor of Genocide in Hotel Rwanda

Abstract

Historical films on Africa are few and far between when viewed against the backdrop of many social upheavals that plague the continent. One such film is Hotel Rwanda, based on the Rwanda genocide of 1994. The film is set in Sabana Hôtel des Milles Collines. The article focuses on the theme of genocidal acts that include amongst others violent destruction of lives and property, and systematic rape of Tutsi females by Hutu extremists. The theoretical underpinning of this study is Systemic Functional Grammar as espoused by M.A.K. Halliday (2004). The article examines how the producer of Hotel Rwanda manipulates the resources of language at the levels of syntax and lexis to highlight the distortions created in Rwanda by the genocide. It also discusses how rhetorical devices are employed to illuminate the large number of deaths, rapes and other abnormalities in Rwanda. The article concludes that genocidal acts should be prevented in Africa due to their deleterious effects.

Opsomming
Historiese rolprente oor Afrika is dun gesaai wanneer die menige sosiale euwels wat die vasteland beleef in ag geneem word. Een sodanige rolprent is Hotel Rwanda wat op die menseslagting in Rwanda in 1994 gebaseer is. Die rolprent speel hom af in die Sabana Hôtel des Milles Collines. Die artikel fokus op dade van menseslagting wat die moedswillige vernietiging van lewe en eiendom, en die stelselmatige verkragting van Tutsi-vrouens deur Hutu-ekstremiste insluit. Die teoretiese raamwerk van hierdie studie is gebaseer op Sistemiese Funksionele Grammatika wat deur M.A.K. Halliday (2004) voorgestaan word. Die artikel ondersoek hoe die vervaardiger van Hotel Rwanda die taalhulpbronne ten opsigte van sintaksis en woordeskat manipuleer om die verwringing wat deur die menseslagting in Rwanda geskep is, te beklemtoon. Daar is ook ’n bespreking oor hoe retoriese middels aangewend word om die groot getal sterftes, verkragtings en ander onreëlmatighede in Rwanda te belig. Die artikel kom tot die gevolgtrekking dat dade van menseslagting, weens hulle verwoestende uitwerking, in Afrika vermy moet word.