AK47 = $534 (on average)
Military training = $35K/soldier
Human life = _________
Today was a day with purpose.
I spent the morning watching a documentary on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 in my Political Science class. The realities of a genocide strike people in different ways. Some people are in complete disbelief of the occurrence of such an event, others with light stomachs turn away at the sight of bodies laid out, lifeless. People killing other people. Ruthless, isn't it?
Ethnic conflicts such as this one are often the manifestations of deeper underlying issues, most of which are often forgotten. In this case, the Hutu extremists were on a mission to murder every last Tutsi in Rwanda and sought about doing so with heavy arms and machetes. The sight of a group of men slaughtering another man with machetes, hacking away, will forever be etched in my mind.
In short, this genocide was based upon ethnic difference and if your ID card said you were a 'Tutsi', that was your life sentence. A clip from the documentary whereby foreign militia were sent into Rwanda to gather up their own people to evacuate the country is a prime example of the West propagating and reinforcing ethnic differences. By going into Rwanda and walking midst the hundreds of Tutsis crying for their lives, the 'Whites' (for lack of better term) carried out their own people, leaving the Tutsis to die.
Tragic.
Another 'WTH' moment for me was when the US blatantly refused to send troops to Rwanda as it was not in their 'best interests'. Considering the complexities that may entail being a hegemon, refusing the opportunity to save lives is outright heartless. I guess it all comes down to money. And this situation is just a larger-scale reflection of the interests of society as a whole. Host a fundraiser and a handful of people will show up. Throw a 50% off reduction at a local mall and the place will be jam-packed. Even in the UN Security Council, there was more discussion on who was going to fund the intervention than actually intervening.
Despite witnessing the effects of humanity's worst (both in the Global North AND South), I took some comfort in admiring those who stayed back to help. It is these heroes, the handful of people, who really make a difference. Romeo Dallaire of Canada, a Christian man (forgot his name), and a doctor, Guillard to name a few westerners. And one that I truly admire is Mbaye Diagne of Senegal.
The Rwandan Genocide really showed the best and worst in mankind.
These are a few of my raging thoughts, I am eager to write an entire paper on this matter as I'm so passionnate about it. In our tutorial, we were asked 'When should the international community intervene and is it appropriate'? And there is no answer to that question. BUT, when the opportunity to make a difference arises, such as the one the US turned down, would you take it?
Having been inspired by these heroes. I knew that if something like this were happening today, I would everything in my power even if I was the only one standing up for it.
It was clear that back in 1994, there was no value attributed to a human life in Africa. Today, let us show the world that the value of a human life is worth more than any commodity on the market. And that it's worth the fight.
Military training = $35K/soldier
Human life = _________
Today was a day with purpose.
I spent the morning watching a documentary on the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 in my Political Science class. The realities of a genocide strike people in different ways. Some people are in complete disbelief of the occurrence of such an event, others with light stomachs turn away at the sight of bodies laid out, lifeless. People killing other people. Ruthless, isn't it?
Ethnic conflicts such as this one are often the manifestations of deeper underlying issues, most of which are often forgotten. In this case, the Hutu extremists were on a mission to murder every last Tutsi in Rwanda and sought about doing so with heavy arms and machetes. The sight of a group of men slaughtering another man with machetes, hacking away, will forever be etched in my mind.
In short, this genocide was based upon ethnic difference and if your ID card said you were a 'Tutsi', that was your life sentence. A clip from the documentary whereby foreign militia were sent into Rwanda to gather up their own people to evacuate the country is a prime example of the West propagating and reinforcing ethnic differences. By going into Rwanda and walking midst the hundreds of Tutsis crying for their lives, the 'Whites' (for lack of better term) carried out their own people, leaving the Tutsis to die.
Tragic.
Another 'WTH' moment for me was when the US blatantly refused to send troops to Rwanda as it was not in their 'best interests'. Considering the complexities that may entail being a hegemon, refusing the opportunity to save lives is outright heartless. I guess it all comes down to money. And this situation is just a larger-scale reflection of the interests of society as a whole. Host a fundraiser and a handful of people will show up. Throw a 50% off reduction at a local mall and the place will be jam-packed. Even in the UN Security Council, there was more discussion on who was going to fund the intervention than actually intervening.
Despite witnessing the effects of humanity's worst (both in the Global North AND South), I took some comfort in admiring those who stayed back to help. It is these heroes, the handful of people, who really make a difference. Romeo Dallaire of Canada, a Christian man (forgot his name), and a doctor, Guillard to name a few westerners. And one that I truly admire is Mbaye Diagne of Senegal.
The Rwandan Genocide really showed the best and worst in mankind.
These are a few of my raging thoughts, I am eager to write an entire paper on this matter as I'm so passionnate about it. In our tutorial, we were asked 'When should the international community intervene and is it appropriate'? And there is no answer to that question. BUT, when the opportunity to make a difference arises, such as the one the US turned down, would you take it?
Having been inspired by these heroes. I knew that if something like this were happening today, I would everything in my power even if I was the only one standing up for it.
It was clear that back in 1994, there was no value attributed to a human life in Africa. Today, let us show the world that the value of a human life is worth more than any commodity on the market. And that it's worth the fight.
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