Few
weeks ago, Aylan Kurdi became the face of the unfolding human suffering.
It
took a horror story about a
truck full of corpses in Austria, and a poignant
photo of a drowned child-
Aylan Kurdi, to raise the pity of the world.
Who
could not have been moved by the picture of this little boy whose father risked
his life and the lives of his family, in search of a better life somewhere in
Europe? The Kurdis were not sure how, but they needed to leave Bodrum, Turkey,
and get to Kos, Greece, with its promise of a life free of war.
Unfortunately,
that was not to be. Aylan Kurdi’s lifeless body washed up onto the shore of one
of Turkey’s fashionable beaches as a grim reminder of how unjust and ephemeral
life truly is.
For
the past months, the refugee crisis has been building in Europe and European
Union leaders have seemed divided and at a loss as to how to deal with it. Not
since World War II has the world seen such a movement of people in search of
safety. The International Organization for Migration has been consistently
calling for those fleeing war-zones, dictatorship and devastation to be treated
with dignity and within the bounds of international law. Yet, there is very
little dignity when men, women and children risk their lives to cross the
Mediterranean in search of a home and die in rickety boats operated by ruthless
smugglers. Images of men and women being numbered as they reach Lampedusa,
Italy, show the stark reality of life as a modern-day refugee or asylum-seeker;
the loss of a name and identity, only the number, marking one out as someone
‘processed’ and ‘captured’ by a system which seems to be buckling under
political, social and financial pressure.
Meanwhile,
something needed to turn the tide of public sympathy too and Aylan Kurdi’s
tragic death seems to have done just that. His tragic death awakens the
humanity of man. And as impatient migrants waited to board a train in Budapest,
hundreds of Germans were waiting at train stations across the country to
welcome refugees.
Also
in England, Prime Minister, David Cameron, with one foot outside Europe, was
forced to soften his country’s stance on creating space for those fleeing war
and devastation. Many in London have offered to open their homes to those in
search of a new life. Perhaps an impractical solution long-term but the world
seems increasingly moved to compassion. That represents a welcome
counter-narrative to the war-mongering and suffering witnessed across the globe
daily.
In
the face of such human tragedy it is easy to forget the context. The United
Nations and the leaders of the world have been unable to stem the tide of
violence and destruction. Meanwhile, back home in Nigeria, who takes
responsibility for the millions of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) in the
north eastern part of the country as the efforts to curb the Boko Haram
insurgency continue?
One
cannot help but think of Nigeria and the Boko Haram menace which broke out in
2009, which has left about 15,000 dead and about 2 million displaced from their
abode according to data from The
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC).
Our government’s efforts towards the internally displaced persons have been
ambivalent and ambiguous to say the least.
Aylan
Kurdi`s tragedy represents the shame of a world disconnected from the injustice
of war and human suffering. Yet here in Nigeria we might well learn from such
tragedy and also from the Germans sitting in a train station in Munich waiting
to welcome those whom the world has forgotten and then show more care and
humanity to the internally displaced person in our own country.
There
are about 2 million internally displaced persons in the north eastern part of
Nigeria scrambling for food, shelter and clothing. Yet, all we do is; fold our
arms and watch them live in an unhealthy camps that`s barely fit for animals let
alone humans. Keeping people bottled up in places such as the IDPs camps, and
watch them suffer under oppressive and unworthy conditions, where poverty,
disease, war and famine rule, is inhumane by definition and a shame on us.
Those
in the IDPs camps need better food, they need clothing, they need good shelter,
and they also deserve a conducive environment to live. Our various contributions
to make this achievable are the least humanity we can show to them.
Humanity
beacons on us all. We all have a role to play in ensuring that humanity is
sustained. No one should be found wandering, abandoned and suffering. No one should
be found hungry! Nature provides lots for all that could actually go round. If
only we feel the passion for humanity then we can as individual and collectively
contribute our quota to save a soul.
God
Bless Nigeria.
Ogundana
Michael Rotimi, is a Nigerian Biochemist, Socio-economic, & Political
Commentator, and Public Speaker. He tweets @MickeySunny.
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