Rwanda Journal, Entry 5: I heart Roméo Dallaire

Thanks to Katie Beaudette for this shot.

I met one of my heroes last night.

Senator Roméo Dallaire spoke at the event to mark the 5th anniversary of the Rwanda Initiative.

Close to 150 interns and dozens of dignitaries who've supported the project over the years gathered at Carleton University's Fenn Lounge.

Robert Fowler, the Canadian diplomat who was kidnapped in Niger, was there. So was the Rwandan ambassador to Canada, who is called Mukabagwiza Edda, according to the embassy's website.

The entertainment was all very African, which I guess makes sense.

Rwandan dancers performed to traditional music; graceful beauties in flowing purple and orange dresses. Each wore bells that jangled as they passed. It was a lovely scene.

But the highlight was Dallaire. He delivered an eloquent speech about the importance of the initiative's effort to improve media education in Rwanda.

I've met Dallaire twice before but this time was unique. I found our previous meetings unsatisfying for one reason or another. Not so this time.

I first met Dallaire when he spoke to my conflict reporting class in November. He is a friend of Allan Thompson and agreed to join us. I'm sorry to say, it was a little dissapointing.

Dallaire tried to condense a presentation of 120 slides into 30 minutes and the result was a rushed and rambling tirade about human rights or whatever.

It actually became quite funny when my friend Mbonisi Zikhali, a fellow intern from Zimbabwe, arrived late and missed Dallaire's introduction.

Mbonisi, shown here looking dangerous.

Mbo had no idea who was speaking and became more and more annoyed by the general's presentation.

Where most saw a larger than life figure crammed into a small room, Mbo saw a white man lecturing him about Africa.

When it came time for the question and answer session, Mbo snapped and went on a rambling tirade of his own. The general cut him off and mind punched him in the chest.

When Mbo googled "Romeo Dallaire" he felt bad.

"I didn't know I was picking a fight with Gandhi," he said the next day.

I died. 

Anyway, I spoke to Dallaire when he was in class that time. It was alright.

The second time I met Dallaire was at the Ottawa International Writer's Festival in December.

My friend Charith (the brown one) with Dallaire. Charith did not pick a fight with him.

He was there to promote his book on child soldiers, They Fight like Soldiers, They Die like Children.

This time the general delivered the same presentation that he had in class but he had two hours. The man was a goddamn rockstar.

As you can kind of tell from the above photo, Dallaire is almost always stalked by beautiful twenty somethings. If you're throwing a party and you want girls to come, tell them Roméo Dallaire will be there.

I spoke to Dallaire this time as well and was able to remind him about our previous meeting. I don't think he remembered me but when you spend your days surrounded by crowds of fawning twenty-somethings, I imagine they begin to blend together.

Despite his bravura performance, I couldn't really connect for some reason. The third time was different.

At this event their were whispered mentions about when Dallaire would arrive but he was not the center of attention. The night was about Allan Thompson and the 150 interns who'd been selected to participate in the Rwanda Initiative.

When Dallaire did arrive, there was something markedly different than at the other two occassions.

He entered the room quietly with his assistant, little fanfare. I was determined to meet him and promptly moved to greet him.

The general was friendly but there was something heavy in his tone. His face was lined and set with the expression of someone limping.

I asked if we could get a photo together, he told me to wait and then made his way to the podium.

Thanks to Jennifer Pagliaro for this shot.

"This is a tough time of year for me," he began. "When April comes, I usually spend most of it cloistered away in my office. But when Allan told me about this event I knew I couldn't refuse."

There was something so candid and sincere in his praise of the work done by the Rwanda Initiative. It was not lofty rhetoric but a heartfelt belief in what he was saying that made it feel real. (Link to Dallaire's speech.)

"Journalists are the instruments of freedom, the voice of democracy," he said.

He called Allan a hero who'd fought to bring hope to the Rwandan people. It was inspiring.

After his presentation, Dallaire agreed to be photographed with me. It is the picture featured at the top of this post. It's also my facebook profile picture and will probably stay up there for a good long time.

Dallaire is a man who has witnessed the most profound evil imaginable. In spite of the damage and trauma of the experience, he remains vibrant and committed to humanity.   

We live in confusing times where it's hard to find people to believe in. But if your lucky you can find them, and if you're very lucky they enter your life somehow.

I am very lucky.