Update: Deteriorating Situation in Sudan

I post this update with regret and heartfelt grief over the deteriorating situation in the Abyei region of Sudan. This comes at a critical time as Peace talks and efforts for a peaceful secession scheduled for July 9th is only weeks away. The secession that is to take place comes after civil war has plagued Sudan for decades. As a result of the new turmoil in Abyei, an oil rich region which is being fought over due to its resource wealth, another 20,000 civilians have been displaced just over the past few days. PLEASE, I urge you to learn more about this situation. Knowledge is power and the more the international community is aware of this situation, the more attention it has, perhaps the more constrained those who are resisting a peaceful opportunity for an Independent South Sudan will be discouraged.
LINKS:
VOANews.com: http://www.voanews.com/english/news/africa/Sudan-Government-Cancels-UN-Meetings-Captures-Disputed-Abyei-Town-122425029.html
AlJazeera: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/africa/2011/05/201152121531778931.html
BBC News: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13487864

MOVEMENT

Perceptions of Movement

                Thinking about the word ‘movement’ has taught me two things about myself: 1) It has (rather) re-affirmed the fact that I over analyze everything 2) That I am an ingrained academic who cannot help but want to write an essay. Having said that, I am going to try to condense what I initially thought was going to be a ‘simple’ blog posting into some key themes and thoughts

1)       Things that can so be easily taken for granted

a.        Citizenship

The mere fact that some people are able to apply for (or in some cases may not even need) a Visa to move around the world. I considered the time I went to Europe. I got on a plane, landed in Paris and started my journey. It wasn’t until years later did I find out that for some people, to move or visit another country may require years and countless finances, major headaches and potentially numerous denials. Simply because I have been afforded the luck of being born Canadian is something I have come to better understand in recent years.

b.        Status (namely economic)

The opportunity to travel for this internship would not have been possible for me without the financial support that YIIP has provided. That is just the reality. One that I am ever greatful for but also on that note, a reality that is not accessible to many people throughout the world. This is an important opportunity for me, but it made me consider those who would like to travel to; see a family member who is ill or one they have not seen in so long, to escape hardship or to find better opportunity for their lives or families.

c.        Freedom (of movement, of citizenship, of status, of...of...of

Movement, the way I have been enabled, is a freedom. I do not take that lightly and cannot express how deeply I feel that realisation.

2)       Movement (as a physical transfer)

a.        As a means of transportation

Being able to fly. This is a relatively new option. But also one that is not easily accessible to many, and taken for granted by some. It has allowed the physical relocation of persons on a scale never before possible.

In Kampala, I arrived late on a Saturday night. In what, by logistical calculation, should have taken maybe 20 minutes to drive from Entebbe airport to Kampala took over an hour. The traffic congestion was something I could never have imagined. I kept thinking, “how nice that I don’t have to drive in this everyday (and) how in Canada/Toronto, the average person would be having a heartattack over the time being lost etc etc etc”. But then I realised this is the norm here. The drivers did not seem (overly) agitated,  and in fact, the slow pace allowed me to take in the ‘happenings’ of the road-side. The hustle and bustle of people, the smells, the sounds.

Later in the week, movement as a means of transportation became an adventure of the Bodaboda (I really have no idea how to spell that so I have written it exactly as it sounds.) The Bodaboda is a very simple style motor bike. And they are everywhere in Kampala! They were very intimidating to me at first. One, I have never been on a motor-cycle/bike and have generally been afraid of them (so vulnerable). Secondly, they pop up everywhere! Whether it is the one that beeps you or stops to see if you are a potential passenger (a fare) or the one that nearly drives over you as you try and weave your way in and out of the busy streets by foot. They are convinent though that is undeniable. When traffic is regularily at a stand still, the Bodaboda can get in and around the traffic in no time, cutting the commute in half easily. They are also far cheaper than the regular mini-bus taxis and hired taxis that are the only other real options for transport.

b.        As an adventure/opportunity

Movement in the context of this internship is an adventure. It has allowed me to come back to (Mama) Africa. It has afforded me a journey to a new country and possibly the opportunity to see other countries in Africa that I have not yet been to. It has allowed me to gain invaluable work experience. And to meet amazing new people.

c.        As a luxury

                                                               i.      As a citizen of a ‘developed’ country

                                                              ii.      As an economic privilege

I have already noted this but it really deserves another visit. The ability for me to move freely, or with little hassle, from one country to the next is a privilege that has selectively been granted to citizens of  certain countries. The magnitude of that is one I don’t think I could ever wholly grasp, as I am one of the fortunate ones to have that luxury. I am not of a ‘higher’ economic status than someone from Canada, yet I am still of means to have this freedom and option. That is a luxury on so many levels. So many people just hop on a plane and zoom themselves around the world for business, for pleasure, (for an internship?). But it is also a luxury that costs someone somewhere something. And that deserves recognition. Our status as Canadians, our general economic status as a country in the global sense of things, has been at the expense of many others. This should not be taken for granted. The ‘footprint’ of which has extensive implications for the environment as well.

d.        As a last resort or without consent/choice

So far, I had considered the movement of people from the perspective of choice. The choice to move or the restrictions of movement. But for a shocking number of people, relocation has not been a choice. And this is both a historical and current reality. It is through this thought that I have structured my blog for this week. Please review the links and various components of this weeks blog to learn more about the conditions and circumstances of the millions of people in Africa (and around the world) that have been forced to abandon their homes, belongings, and often families in times of conflict and desperation. Their experiences of movement create an entirely different perception of the word and I hope that in some capacity the work of HRDs can bring about solutions and provide a voice when they are entrenched in such situations.

3)       Movement (as an abstract)

a.        Through technology

Globalization is the most recent development of human kind. This has been largely due to the advancements in technology. Not in reference to technology as it has been discussed previously, as in the creation of transportation vehicles (cars, trains, planes) but in how less tangible technology such as the internet and telephone have moved the 21^st century into a ‘new world’ never before experienced though-out history. I think it is easily forgotten how recent these capabilities have come. The last century has mobilized human beings in such a way that we can now connect with the press of a button. These technologies have also grown into the movement of memberships. As was seen in the recent uprising in Egypt, something like Facebook has led to the mobilization and given the capacity of global citizens to unit with such force that coordinated a remarkable event in history. Civil society is moving.  

b.        As a mobilization of human spirit

Human Rights is a movement. It is the movement of the human spirit to fight for humanity. There is no greater definition of movement to me.

Challenge

This week the challenge is to move. To feel how you move and consider the ways in which you move. To recognize what this means to you and how this impacts your life, the lives of those around you and the life you hope the future may hold.