EYES BUT NO SIGHT

“But if they were a child during this period of war, can’t we just give them psychological treatment and they’re fine?”

Travel, they say, expands one’s mind. But after a childhood of reading Agatha Christie’s books and binge watching her ‘Hercules Poirot’ series, I dare say; ‘Listening to people’s stories, changes your life.’

Whew, that was long.

For my role as chair of African Union on Amsterdam’s University College Model United Nations , I was tasked with chairing the committee on Rehabilitation and Reintergration of Former Child Soldiers. In the training room, with fellow chairs, it was a bit awkward being the only, how do you say…different one. And like clock work, wore the “representing everyone’ robe.

Silently, I sat in the library, hidden away, cold and shaking like a wet leaf, because you know, we are not used to this weather. It was then, like many times, this trip had made me, ponder on my childhood and education system. A privilege many would call it, being taught by teachers from other states, spending play time with children from different beautiful places and the scary screams from their parents. Undoubtedly, a life, whose shadow follows you well into the adulthood.

It was the same feeling I got watching another YouTube documentary, which I had stumbled upon, after endless ‘African beauty secrets’. A rabbit hole that went deeper than a cat’s head in a bottle.

“Is our dark chapter, part of the reason this is happening?

The documentary on Gender Based Violence [GBV] in Sierra Leone brings out certain questions that we are afraid to ask or answer.

Do conflicts really end or do we just assume it has?

I listened on as one of the men interviewed on the documentary, came out to state that he was a former child soldier, abducted when he was in his pre-teens, he openly stating that he commits GBV, since he views it as a normal thing.

War is usually characterized by extreme brutality, including widespread atrocities such as rape, mutilation, and the use of child soldiers; leaving people dead and many more wounded, displaced, or traumatized. Despite its tragic legacy, it also serves as a powerful reminder of the resilience and perseverance of the human spirit, as well as the importance of international efforts to promote peace and justice in the face of conflict and oppression.

But the effects? The effects are harder to deal with. The silent cries, the ‘peaceful wars’ within and most hurtful, the constant reminder of ‘how far we’ve come’.

Maybe that’s why cases of sexual abuse, Gender Based Violence and Drug Abuse are still…persistent.

The truth is there was no single main cause of the war. Rather, the result of a complex mix of factors that came together to create a volatile and unstable situation in the country. Some of the key factors that contributed to the outbreak of the war included political corruption, economic inequality, social exclusion, ethnic tensions, and the exploitation of natural resources.

And silently…religion.

Characterized by civilian governments being overthrown, military regimes, it seems, tend to be the spark of the “revolutionary” changes. A change, sigh of relief from the post-colonial… “kitchen cleaner” rule. Just like Ivory Coast’s “Ivorite”, D R Congo’s “Effacer Le Tableau” and Nigeria’s Biafra, the common theme in all, was an 'us versus them'.

Again, I am teaching on Liberia’s and Sierra Leone’s war and the constant pop up of systemic corruption, passed down from independence, constantly shows up. We see the new governments maintaining the status quo, from colonial rule, seeing that they benefited during the oppressive rule; and are willing to continue it, for the sake of their lifestyle.

Thus, the vacuum is created.

Citizens angry at the fact that they are unable to enjoy basic necessities of life, poor security or in most times, bullying from the military arm of the government and thus…a saviour is born.

No pun intended.

In Kiswahili, we say, “Ukimwona mwenzako kanyolewa, tia choke maji”; direct translation; “When you see your friend’s [head] being shaved, get ready too.”. The Eastern Part of Nigeria is going through a tribal and religious war, while Cameroon is also dealing with its societal barriers. Liberia is going through a civil war, the Salone presidency is too corrupt to man its borders.

What happens when a spark meets kerosene?

RELIGION, WAR AND CRISIS COMMUNICATION

This made me think of that scene from the movie Blood Diamond where some old man says something like: -First it was the slaves, than ivory and gold and now it's diamonds. Please God don't let them find oil here, then we will be truly f’d.

For visual effects, I love adding a film to my classes. This time I chose Vice News ; Blood Diamonds and the religious War in Central African Republic. Unknowingly, I click to the 12th Second and the first thing I see is “If he’s Muslim, we kill him!”

I, just…what?

For context, the Rebels from the Coalition of Seleka, whose majority was of Muslim faith, overthrew the government and attacked the Christian faith population, giving rise to the Anti Balaka group, whose aim was to ‘defend and protect christians’. In the end, and like clock work, we end up seeing them controlling the diamond mines and thus the trade.

Communication, many think, is the use of words to convey certain information. But we’re humans. The message may be accepted or rejected depending on how well or poorly it has been packaged. Let’s go back to central Africa. Rwanda, yes? I got you there. I know the countries you had in mind. See what I did there?

In preparation of the Pope’s visit to Rwanda, the bishops published, in February 1990, the letter; “Christ our unity.”

‘What we want is peace and unity between citizens of our country.’ The head of state at that time, President Habyariama then stated, ‘We do not tolerate quarrels and hatred, we do not tolerate nepotism or favouritism, we do not tolerate rumours that destroy.’

What’s the difference between both messages? The bishops move to bring calm while the president shows that there is ‘something to deal with’; which automatically in one’s mind, immediately goes to discrimination that could probably be going on and needs to be dealt with.

It is thus, because of this that we see the different factions by the Hutu using this same style of communication to mobilise their own into ‘cleaning their house’

This same kind of communication is used during the recruitment and use of child soldiers. Often we hear them talk about ‘proving their loyalty’; how did it start? Emmanuel Jal in his book “War Child” talked about how he was still a soldier, despite being physically away from the war. This is used to cause fear and trauma, not only among the population, but those involved in armed groups.

And that’s why, demilitarisation, de-charactarization, starts from the mind, then words, then action-

It took me a few days to come back to this. With every story, there is more information, more targets, more killings, less justice.

In the background, more children being affected by the conflict.

While the African Union Peace and Security Council celebrates twenty years in existence, there is still a lot to be desired. Especially from its member states.

It all boils down to this, do we really want these conflicts solved?

Or like cleaning flooded rooms, is it easier to just let the water dry or pump it out?

I finish this article by reminding you of the blind man who was healed by Jesus. Physically, his eyes were present, but un-fuctional. As he could not see. Thus, it was not just about being blind, but he lost the sense of sight.

As many humanitarians would whisper, “We have eyes , but no sight.”

Unit next time.