The Mass Exodus: Who really benefits?

Has the human race forgotten its past? We are all an extension of every other man, when one hurts the other, it is implied that he hurts every other living person in the community. The parochial would view otherwise. Migration has existed from the beginning, from ancient times. Peoples fled persecution; they left their homelands because they want to make their lives better and to an extension, the lives of their families and their homeland. Peoples have emigrated simply by word of mouth that one geographical area of the world can yield bounties. They will emigrate in droves! Others will emigrate because of persecution. This group of emigrants fleeing persecution are supposed to be protected under the Geneva Convention on refugees and asylum seekers. Is what is happening today new? Not at all!

Historically, we can still reminisce the past when the Israelites migrated to Egypt for economic reasons; the Mongols migrated via Alaska to the western belt of the Rocky/Andes for political reasons; the Europeans migrated to the 'New World' now America for economic reasons; the Israelites fleeing Pharaoh's persecution, crossed the Red Sea to escape. Many made their way to the Promised Land but other groups ended up in Abyssinia (present day Ethiopia), Cyrene (present day Libya), Eastern Nigeria and the territory of Afars and the lssas (present day Djibouti). There are so many instances of mass migration for diverse reasons, including economic. Does Europe believe that they can live in an affluent and safe world when other worlds are in turmoil? Unless we do more to halt the injustices and disenfranchisement of peoples in other worlds, Europe can see no end to the mass migration.

It is great to see the international community so anxious to make malevolent, the plight of migrants. One thing I have observed is that, they all have in common, the misplacement of the truth and an explanation as to why migration of so-called economic migrants occur year in and year out, in astronomical numbers. The truth is that prior to the brutal 'murder' of Colonel Kaddafi (former Libyan leader), over a million migrants were in employment in Libya. Many especially, those from sub­ Saharan African had been working in Libya for decades and had made Libya their second home. Whatever one can say about Kaddafi, the relative calm then is not comparable to the chaos we have seen in the past four years after his brutal murder.

The sacking of Kaddafi and his government made many of these former employees in Libya to flee Libya because the chaos that was constructed without aforethought of the consequences of the change the West wanted. Under Kaddafi, Europe had an understanding were migrants are either settled in Libya or returned to their home country preventing the risks we now see daily on the Mediterranean.

 

 

I find it disturbing to hear about the deaths of thousands of migrants from Africa, Asia and the Middle East in their attempts to come to Europe and the Near East. More disturbing is the lack of concerted international efforts and national political wills to tackle the causes of these migrations. What the politicians in Europe are doing is meeting to discuss the issues at hand; which is commendable. The international community should take responsibility of these consequences. What the 'nationals ' and 'internationals ' should do is to halt the impoverishment of those fleeing for economic reasons by creating more opportunities to deter them from challenging these unforeseen and dangerous adventures of deaths. Governments, in the home countries of the migrants, must improve on the socio-economic conditions of their disenfranchised and disadvantaged. It is not proper for these economic migrants, who come from countries rich in natural and human resources, exploited by transnationals and their governments, to be abandoned and labelled as law­ breakers. More should be done to focus on the causes of their impoverishment, to address the underpinning problem.

When I was 19, I left my country, not because I was looking for greener pastures away from my natural niche, but because of the unbearable mechanisms that made 80% of the people poor; because I was unable to make any change that is not deemed criminal by the empowered few. I left my homeland to stay away from this stark reality of the impoverishments. I had a visa though! And money too! Instead of labelling these migrants as economic migrants, we should look at what made them to leave their homelands in the first place. Not just the answer we want to hear but the true reason as to why they should leave when they have so much. The lack of wealth not trickling down to the disenfranchised and disadvantaged is one cause of migration, a very important one! To tackle the causes of migration is of greater importance than the fear of consequences, if we are to see any marked melioration in this socio-economic and political debacle.

In contrast to what many of these economic migrants would earn in their home country, they face exploitation by gangs, discrimination, and those added burdens of been in a foreign land without your loved ones. Many are not told the truth that they will have to undergo a lot of suffering during their adventure and in their sojourn. Many are not prepared for these eventualities and they become hostages to their misfortune. Had there been programmes to explain the consequences of these adventures, many would think carefully before setting out. I have experienced the stories been told by experienced emigrants about how wealthy Europe is and how easy it is to get a job. What many are not told is that the average migrant has to live in sub-standard conditions to be able to save a small amount of money to send back to his family in his homeland. Many go on for years without acquiring a settled immigration status.

Most countries that see an increasing emigration of their citizens lack good governance; lax international development laws protecting the increasing abuses by transnational corporations who more often renege on their published policies on corporate social responsibility.

In the case of Africans, it beggars belief to understand the silence of the African Union (AU) in these matters. Can the AU not attempt to exploratively reason and champion a debate in this highest form of capitalism? Is the AU not competent enough to tackle these emigrations which are also a brain drain to the continent of Africa? Or is the AU ignoring its responsibilities to the plight of Africans who have become a burden to the Eurocentric and the nouveau-unwelcomed slave in the imperialistic servitude of the African by the European as v d by the Afrocentric? Africa's political class must explore an economic and political will to tackle the abuses faced by her people in the quest to migrate to Europe. The matters should not be left to the European, who sees themselves as victims and not the constructionists of these waves of natural and human resources exploitation.

A collective effort by all African leaders, multi-lateral diplomatic agencies and non- governmental organisations can tackle these harsh and sub-human treatments Africans and others face in these parts of the world. Any talks to deal with the plight of Africans should not exclude a supporting partnership with our African-American ' siblings' who endured years of dealing with hostilities , if this has not already been explored . Africa must reach out to them and understand the way to handle the oppressor.

The collapse of free movement of peoples from economically poorer countries and the humanity that went with it may have begun when the colonial conquerors introduced borders to control the flow of people from one region to another. The conquered in economically poorer regions are exclusively affected by these controls that now exist to only accommodate those with the means to satisfy authorities charged with immigration controls. The DV Scheme (an immigration ‘invitation’ by the USA for aliens to enter the USA legally) by the United States has helped a great number of people from economically poorer regions with educational background to participate in the American Dream.

Let us be bold and tell the world of human beings the whole truth about the games ' others' are playing that is forcing emigrations to Europe and the Near East!