Where and Why are people dying?

The news should faithfully reflect what is happening in the world. Understandably, it is vital that the public is kept informed of issues facing humanity so that appropriate decisions and actions can be taken. In the recent film “Look up” the storyline involves physicists who are horrified to discover that an astronaut will hit the Earth in five months causing an extinction-level event. However, their attempt to get this vital news out to the general public, when political leaders did not respond, was met by the media with a mixture of ridicule, distraction and mockery. The preferred news feature covered was the on/off romance of a famous young female music star. The movie felt tongue in cheek at times but its statement on political power and the role of media highlighted a growing disconnect between what news we consume and the actual important issues facing us as individuals, communities, or as a global community. 

This disengagement has very real consequences to us all.  Especially when facing global pandemics or global warming or water shortages, pollution, economic collapse, famines or wars.  A report from the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) concluded that there was overwhelming evidence that the “health of ecosystems on which we and all other species depend is deteriorating more rapidly than ever. We are eroding the very foundations of our economies, livelihoods, food security, health and quality of life worldwide.” 

In fact, it is clear that we are not just putting the security of our own lives in jeopardy as already 1 million animal and plant species are threatened with extinction.  It is not too late to act but there is little evidence that the seriousness of the situation has got through either to the general public or our leaders.  The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has released repeated reports that are also frankly frightening from scientists but these have resulted in a minimal response from a distracted, disunited world community.  Why when information is available on the problems facing humanity does the media somehow fail to get across what is important?  Over a century and a half ago the importance of news and the requirements of those who convey the news was spelled out succinctly,

“In this day the mysteries of this earth are unfolded and visible before the eyes, and the pages of swiftly appearing newspapers are indeed the mirror of the world; they display the doings and actions of the different nations; they both illustrate them and cause them to be heard. Newspapers are as a mirror which is endowed with hearing, sight and speech; they are a wonderful phenomenon and a great matter. But it behoveth the writers thereof to be sanctified from the prejudice of egotism and desire and to be adorned with the ornament of equity and justice; they must inquire into matters as much as possible, in order that they may be informed of the real facts, and commit the same to writing.”

Bahá’u’lláh, Bahá’í World Faith, p. 171

It seems clear that invested interests, egos and other agendas have meant that real facts often remain hidden and prevent equity and justice being implemented.  A population that is distracted is also easily manipulated. Take a look at the front page of almost any newspaper, media outlet and be amazed how much of the news is of no worth at all.  Celebrities, scandals, character assassination have become our daily diet alongside tales of murderers, criminals and thieves.  It is not just that real news is so rarely reported it is more that our tastes have become so skewed to the perverse we are not really that interested in anything else.  

So what is real news, worthy of attention?  Well, if people are dying somewhere in the world then surely, we need to hear about that in case something can be done to stop it.  My first investigation turned to available data online for the year 2021 showing how many people died in each country.  However, this is not an accurate comparison as if you have a huge population then it is be expected you would have a larger death toll.  In order to make a proper investigation, you need to calculate the number of deaths per one thousand people per year.  Thankfully someone has already done it.  Here is the link.

https://worldpopulationreview.com/country-rankings/death-rate-by-country

I have to confess the top ten countries surprised me, here they are for 2021

1. Bulgaria (15.433)

2. Ukraine (15.192)

3. Latvia (14.669)

4. Lesotho (14.144)

5. Lithuania (13.737)

6. Serbia (13.194)

7. Croatia (13.17)

8. Romania (13.099)

9. Georgia (12.816)

10. Russia (12.785)

If you read further down the reasons for such high death rates in each country is outlined and makes for depressing reading. It consists of low vaccination rates, poor health systems, alcohol abuse, HIV/AIDS, smoking (e.g. 25% of the population of Croatia smoke), cardiovascular disease, cancer, suicide, road accidents, homicide etc. It also surprised me that Lesotho is the only African country in the top ten countries with high death rates.  Stunning to find out that life expectancy at birth in Lesotho is 56 years for females and 52 years for males.  In Hongkong, the life expectancy is 84.7 for females and 81.8 years for males. This means males in Hongkong will live on average almost 30 years longer than a male in Lesotho! 

What do these facts tell us? Well, it certainly reminds us that equity and justice are not being experienced by a lot of nations.  Another useful resource to look at to see where we are globally is the link below.  Check out how many cigarettes are being smoked worldwide and how much money is being earned from illegal drugs the figures blow one’s mind devastating that there are at present over 785 million of us without access to safe drinking water.

https://www.worldometers.info/

Finally, genocide is often what jumps to mind when you think of deaths worldwide and there is a useful link that monitors genocide worldwide putting areas into either genocide watch, genocide warning or genocide emergency categories depending on how serious the situation is.

https://www.genocidewatch.com/countries-at-risk

This is important because sometimes there are signals of approaching trouble.  In Rwanda in 1994 between 500,000 to 800,000 people were slaughtered in over less than four months (7th April – 5th July) and half a million women were raped. In hindsight it was discovered that from January 1993 to March 1994, a total of 500,000 machetes were imported into Rwanda, statistically one for every three adult Hutus in the country. 

There are studies that allow us to monitor violence worldwide and see where mass killing is happening https://earlywarningproject.ushmm.org/map for 2020/2021.  The early signs seem to have consistent features and these include among other elements,

• Instability: One of the strongest signs of the potential for genocide is large-scale instability (armed conflict, a coup, revolution, or uprising). In these environments, leaders and citizens may be more willing to consider violence to protect themselves and what they value.  

• Ideology: Genocide often happens when leaders believe that some people in the country are inferior or dangerous because of their race, religion, or national or ethnic origin. 

• Discrimination and violence against groups: Where genocide occurs, there usually have been earlier acts of discrimination, persecution, and violence against people who belong to a certain group. 

Make no mistake the people living in the areas highlighted on this map are experiencing very real danger.  If we were experiencing this we would probably try to flee for safety. It is not surprising then that 26.4 million people around the world live as refugees.

The Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, has just given a New Year’s Address and in light of all that has been mentioned above, I wanted to start this year with his words not least because the world’s media will probably not be sharing it widely.

“The world welcomes 2022 with our hopes for the future being tested.

By deepening poverty and worsening inequality.

By an unequal distribution of COVID vaccines.

By climate commitments that fall short. 

And by ongoing conflict, division, and misinformation.

These are not just policy tests.

These are moral and real-life tests.

And they are tests that humanity can pass — if we commit to making 2022 a year of recovery for everyone.

Recovery from the pandemic — with a bold plan to vaccinate every person, everywhere.   

Recovery for our economies — with wealthier countries supporting the developing world with financing, investment and debt relief.

Recovery from mistrust and division — with a new emphasis on science, facts and reason.

Recovery from conflicts — with a renewed spirit of dialogue, compromise and reconciliation.

And recovery for our planet — with climate commitments that match the scale and urgency of the crisis.

Moments of great difficulty are also moments of great opportunity.

To come together in solidarity.

To unite behind solutions that can benefit all people.”

the hollow that is dug for those who speak no more

It is hard to learn from history.  We keep hoping that humanity is progressing and will not keep making the same mistakes but I get the feeling (given present events) that unless our noses are rubbed in our shit enough we will not learn the vital lessons that need to be learned. 

The Rwanda Massacre which happened in 1994 is recent enough not to be forgotten but as more facts emerge we will need to re-visit it anew.  The President of Rwanda, Habyarimana had been power two decades and was terrified he would not be re-elected so he decided to deliberately stir up hatred for the Tutsi minority (14%) of the population in the Hutu majority (85%).  This involved using physical attacks as well as verbal abuse.  They directed six instances of massacres of hundreds of Tutsi from Oct 1990 even before the real genocide began in earnest. 

Habyarimana transformed the youth of his party into militia known as Interahamwe and they were encouraged to use violence as were others for political purposes.  It is disheartening to note that the machetes that were used to kill so many during the terrible genocide that followed were imported in large quantities at this time from British and Chinese manufacturers.  One wonders why none of these manufacturers queried the need for 100,000 machetes in 1994? 

When President Habyarimana’s plane was shot down, on April 6, 1994, Tutsis were blamed and the massacre got under way.  Subsequently, it has been discovered (17 years later) that the weapon shot at the plane came from one of the Hutu camps.  But there was to be no mistakes in rolling out the effective killing machine that was put into place during the genocide.  Those who would have put a stop to the killing in their locality, the moderates, the wise, the respected community leaders were systematically targeted and killed.  Those involved in the killing frenzy knew that with these people in place, each would have served as a block to curtail the madness unfolding.  Remember that saying “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” well it would appear that the murderers knew that good men and women needed to be removed from the scene entirely!

There are depressing academic papers now published (Philip Verwimp, Massacres in Rwanda) that have graphs showing numbers killed in the genocide by firearms, and tables giving percentages killed by machetes, clubs, pick axes, burned, hanged, drowned, buried alive etc  It makes depressing reading.  So too does the planning that went into the genocide.  Not only were weapons readied, militia trained for this purpose but media was used to broadcast a daily stream of anti-Tutsi hate propaganda (Radio Televison Libre Mille Collines (RTLMC) formed in 1993) who referred to opposition as “traitors who deserve to die” and the Tutsi as “cockroaches and snakes which should be stamped out”.  Broadcasts accused Tutsis of murdering Hutu babies and of vile sexual practices.  This served to whip up hatred and fear and when the killings started for real the radio even broadcast lists of people to be killed!  They called continuously for the total extermination of Tutsis.  Why did the International community allow, in the name of press freedom, this station to continue to exist?  But of course there are other questions too, the complete inability of the International Community to respond swiftly and effectively to the massacre shames us all. The International Community cannot even claim ignorance, it knew and it did next to nothing.  Between 800,000 and one million lost their lives in the Rwanda madness.  Can I summarise the learning for me.

1.      Prejudice and hatred would appear to prepare the ground nicely for genocide

2.      Genocide starts in hundreds of killings, these are the precursors to the mass killings that follow – action is needed before things get worse

3.      Corrupt leaders hanging onto power at whatever cost in lives seems worryingly common

4.      Providing weapons/instruments to killers is not a good idea, especially in excessive numbers (could manufacturers/governments take note)

5.      Media whipping up hatred and killing and providing lists of those to be killed – should surely be against international law?

6.      The International Community used to wring its hands and claim ignorance – that excuse does no longer hold (perhaps it never did) justice must prevail

7.      Good people in every community act as strongholds/brakes of reason and sanity in crazy times (hence the need to kill as many as possible beforehand when planning genocide) and the world needs many more of these voices of reason everywhere!

PS An air plane crashed on February 12, 2009, it was the Continental Connection Flight 3407, en route from Newark, New Jersey, to New York.  On board that flight was one Alison Des Forges, senior advisor to Human Rights Watch, who was no stranger to danger, violence and loss of life on a scale that defies belief.  It is my hope that in those last terrifying moments, as the plane fell, she felt her life had achieved something.  She was the person who did more than most to bring the Rwanda massacre to the attention of the whole world.  She put her life on the line within Rwanda to try and save lives and wrote the definitive reports on what was happening and why. She did not pass empty handed in to the hollow!

    “Soon will our handful of days, our vanishing life, be gone, and we shall pass, empty-handed, into the hollow that is dug for those who speak no more; … We must gird ourselves for service, kindle love's flame, and burn away in its heat. We must loose our tongues till we set the wide world's heart afire..”

Bahá’í Writings