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After days of camping out in Budapest’s central train station, about 8000 refugees pulled into the Munich train station, welcomed by Germans in the early hours of Sunday morning, reports The Huffington Post.
German chancellor, Angela Merkel has welcomed over 750 000 refugees into Germany. Austria has opened their borders to this gargantuan humanitarian crisis. And Pope Francis has urged EU Catholic congregations to provide shelter to refugees.
But has the person behind the label of "refugee" been made human enough by the mass media for EU communities to accept Syrians and Afghanistanis as their equals?
Image: Getty
Upon a recent visit to Berlin, I stayed in the neighbourhood of Neukolln – boasting the largest immigrant population in the city. Headed for a day of sightseeing, I spotted this graffitied wall:
Image: Marisa Crous
“Refugees Welcome”.
The word “refugee” in line with the word “welcome” is an odd combination. We have been taught refugees aren’t welcome. They are merely tolerated. A problematic bunch of misfits who will only disrupt the status quo. It’s as if refugees are blamed for their misery and misfortune. Which is a blatant case of victim-blaming.
Stefano Hatfield recently wrote an article for The Independent on the crisis, asking: why aren’t we angrier? We have scrolled past graphic images of the Syrian civil war on Facebook, have mourned the death a drowned 3-year-old Syrian boy online; and have seen countless photos of desperate faces illegally crossing borders. Still, it remains a foreign concept, these Syrians…
The biggest problem lies with defining what a refugee actually is. Both in our minds and in law.
On the most basic of levels, a refugee is a human who has been forced to leave their country of origin. Someone who has lost everything. They fear for their lives, desperately trying – with limited power – to stay alive. They have the same needs as you and I (something a lot of Westerners struggle with), that of shelter, security, food, water, love, comfort, a toilet, respect, a job, a community, etc.
Due to the incredibly publicised nature of this crisis, the world’s eyes have been opened to an extent to the human behind the refugee mask. Seeing refugees as more than brown-skinned, third-world tyrants bound to reek havoc on the wealthy’s way of life. The media's attention has drawn mass sympathy. More so than I have seen with any other disaster.
Thing is, refugees have always been hidden: not seen or heard from. Now you simply cannot avoid them anymore. They are staring the world in the face, saying: “Listen”.
Despite the efforts of Merkel, most EU countries have shown refugees the finger. This is mainly because the EU continues to fear the refugee. The person soon to be their neighbour, colleague or perhaps even friend is not welcome yet. That's why they are holding onto their land for dear life, selfishly reserving the spoils for themselves.
Much like the “Luister” documentary revealed about Stellenbosch.
Exclusion is the ultimate form of disrespect.
Be proud of your culture, nationality, religion and language, but not at the expense of others. If we maximize utility, looking out for the greater interests of the majority instead of the minority in power, we can have a much more inclusive, happy society. The only thing we need to do is be open to it.
There comes a point when you have to look at yourself and say: “stop being such a selfish pig”. Sure it keeps you happy, but good people are out there suffering, and dying because of our lack of respect.
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