Reading recent documents of missionary societies such as the “Petit Echo” of the Missionaries of África, publications of many NGOs and some websites, on the topic of refugees and migrants, reminded me of a well-known story, which introduced us to the study of the theme of social justice, and which still seems particularly significant to me.

“It happened in a town that they began to see human bodies going down the river, without knowing the reason for such disaster. Some came down wounded, others sick and others had died. Then, the town dwellers, moved by compassion, began to organize themselves, to get them out of the river, to care for everyone according to their needs, and to bury the dead. They came to set-up large organizations (NGOs), groups of good Samaritans, and food and medicine banks. Even governments and large companies sent help and alms. All the same, the number of bodies coming down the river kept increasing, despite the many good Samaritans everywhere.” As some kept wondering: “why is all this happening?”, they decided to go upriver to investigate the cause of this human tragedy.

When dealing with the issue of refugees and migrants, the focus has traditionally been on welcoming, listening, praying and sharing some goods with people in need. This is how the churches, NGOs and governments have usually responded.

The surprising thing is that we still rarely ask ourselves: “Why” does this tragedy continue to happen today, even with greater cruelty, without trying to heal the root causes of this humanitarian catastrophe? Why are we content with “patches”, hospital care, food banks and material aid, while letting bodies continue to go down the river, and people cross the seas at great risks, fall on the battlefield or die oppressed and marginalized?

Two fundamental questions

If we analyse the reasons why so many displaced people, refugees and migrants risk their lives in rivers, seas and deserts, we will realize that we have left aside two fundamental issues, that would heal the roots of oppression, and looting and injustice:

• • First: the empowerment of youth and society, with a comprehensive educational agreement on scientific issues and ethical values. This is essential and fundamental for a joint commitment to welcome and harmonise our increasingly multicultural society. This is what Pope Francis and many international leaders speak about.
  • Second: a joint democratic commitment in each region and country is essential to bring about a responsible governance, and sustainable and ecological development for all peoples. This would lead us towards a global agreement of international cooperation to create opportunities for a dignified life in all countries, and to welcome migrants with work contracts and well-organized travelling. All of this, although very demanding, lays in our hands, if we really want it.

Without this global educational empowerment and without a joint democratic commitment to heal governance, politics, economics and the great global military and economic powers, we shall continue to see, that:

• • There are too many military dictators who continue to send young people to die in wars as they invade a neighbouring country, such as Ukraine, Gaza, Kivu in the DRC, etc. and to control resources, as is happening in Sudan, DRC, Uganda, Ethiopia, etc. They take survivors to displaced persons camps with inhuman conditions.
  • Powerful businesses, such as Shell, Total, UAE, Coffee Marketing Board of Hamburg, etc., continue to expel hundreds and thousands of families from their ancestral lands, especially in Africa, to impose, without any compensation, their own large exploitation plants or coffee plantations, as I saw in the Mubende region of Uganda, or to loot precious minerals, such as gold, titanium, uranium etc., as I have also seen happening in the Karamoja region of Uganda, and in the Kivu region of the DRC. They are not concerned with the many people who are left jobless, homeless and landless, or get drowned in the seas, searching for a new life.
  • All these cruel abuses of human dignity are carried out with total impunity, due to the ruthless greed of many dictators, businessmen and powerful foreign rulers, and with the complicity of local governments.

It is unjust and dangerous to see how the governments of the EU, the global North and Africa, agree to increase military spending on defense, while they do not worry about guaranteeing the necessary infrastructures for their citizens to achieve food security, health services and education facilities.

This critical and explosive situation of humanity and nature can only get worse…unless we the people, all the people of the planet, manage to unite and work together in implementing the three objectives mentioned above, with special emphasis on the educational global empowerment, and in the joint commitment of each society, to work together for social justice, for a more humane and responsible governance, and to cooperate for the Sustainable Development Goals for all peoples. (SDG)

The commitment of our confreres

I appreciate the essential commitment of many confreres, religious and lay people to provide through our European projects a fraternal welcome, food required, education, health and shelter to the immigrants. My concern is that we seem to be content with this being good Samaritans towards our immigrants and leaving it at that. We must go further, however, in our commitment to integral education, social justice and intercultural dialogue, also in Europe.

We have the technological means required and resources necessary to achieve this. The question is: do we have the will and the solidarity required for such a commitment as a global humanity for our common home?

The present and future generations will hold us accountable and expect us to be more responsible, professional and human to face this emergency of the new slaveries, now, for the benefit of our human family and our planet.                                                                                                                                                      

By: Lázaro Bustince Sola, M.Afr.