A Collective Voice From The Breathless
By Daniel Muse
“Until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; we Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we are confident in the victory of good over evil.” — Haile Selassie.
On 10th of December 1948; a meeting was convened in Paris, France by the United Nations General Assembly seeking to address the impoverished state of co-existence among the citizens of the world. In one voice; it was agreed that all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. By this virtue, everyone was endowed with reason and conscience and was to act in the spirit of brotherhood towards others irrespective of their race, gender, age, religion, ethnicity, or cultural background.
Seven decades later, it’s arguably indisputable that we(the custodians to this commitment) wallow in a state of procrastination as we struggle to see its fulfillment. The first two quarters of 2020, in particular, have been marked by numerous instances that openly indicate the escalating rates of racially motivated bigotry all over the world.
Football pitches in Europe are evidently turning into a show-off arena for chest-thumping and breeding ethnic discrimination. In an incident that occurred on the 17th of February during a football match between FC Porto and Vitoria Guimares, a French International Player, Moussa Marega was forced to walk out of the pitch after facing racial vilification from the crowd of spectators. Ironically, the referee in charge of the game went ahead and carded him without a single consideration of the psychological torture the player was undergoing.
Even in the advent of COVID-19, as the entire world joins forces in fighting an invisible monster, a notable degree of our energy has been re-directed towards combating each other. Videos emanating from Guangzhou, China depicted the miseries black people were facing after being forcefully evicted from their residential places. What sparked genuine questions about these evacuations was the intensive force employed. As a result of the rising hostility, many victims of these circumstances ran errands to their motherlands in an appeal for help. The Guangzhou incident eventually led to the massive repatriation of African Nationals by both the Kenyan and Nigerian governments.
Recently, a video originating from Minneapolis, USA spurred mixed reactions from all the corners of the universe on the possible agony one might be exposed to based on the complexity of his/her skin color. This video of a black American, George Floyd succumbing to death as he cried for mercy was enough evidence of the animosity we hold towards our fellow men just because they are different from us. However, the aftermath of this event confirmed how breathless many people are as they encounter racism both directly or indirectly.
Floyd’s last words, “ I can’t breathe”, appears to have held a wider meaning to all of us as opposed to his personal experience. As supported by the protests that followed his death, the mantra probably represented a collective voice from the ‘breathless’ — a category of all people from different walks of life who will continue being restless until all the inhabitants of this world are finally regarded with an equal status quo.
As part of this category, Africans in both their motherland and those in diaspora remain breathless as they see their brethren living under the shackles of oppression. This often leaves them without choices apart from being actively engaged in any course geared towards the liberation of all races from different kinds of prejudices. Many youths and social justice activists have also remained in this state of breathlessness as a result of their belief in change.
The world today can be likened to a large room filled with a toxic gas called racism. Unfortunately, this room consists of two major groups of people. The first group is composed of the majority who are wearing gas masks making them immune to the effects of this toxic gas. In their state of comfort, this group fails to realize that the room is already full of toxicity and keeps clinging unto the argument that our social institutions are inclusive to all.
On the other hand, the room also consists of those without gas masks struggling in a state of breathlessness as they seek for survival. Out of this category, many die quietly after being choked by the toxic gas. However, a few like George Floyd, Moussa Marega, and those we saw in Guangzhou, China stand in the lit areas of the room giving everyone an opportunity to see how they fight for their breath until they are overwhelmed by the poisonous gas.
In this room, we also have the minority who, having run out of oxygen, have therefore realized the presence of this toxic gas. As a result, they too join the breathless in cleaning the room. Often, this group is characterized by many youths, scholars, leaders, and social justice activists in Europe, America, Asia, and other parts of the world who in their consciousness, have joined the progressive fight for change.
Global Changemakers has an unshakeable mission of supporting youth to create positive change in their communities. A global pioneer in supporting youth-led development, they have trained youth from over 180 countries and provided grants to over 360 youth-led projects, which have had a combined impact on over 6,2 million people. www.global-changemakers.net
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed in this article belong to the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Editor or Global Changemakers.
