Our Humanity; a Top Consideration

It is becoming clearer by the day that despite artificial borders and differences in political leanings, religions and culture, we are simply Humanity. We all feel pain, share joy, experience frustration and seek for better lives for ourselves and loved ones. It was therefore heart wrenching to see countless number of refugees and migrants perishing in the Mediterranean Sea in attempt to escape the horror they face in their "home" of circumstance. However, the concept of "home", "our home", "our country" or "our land" has come in the way of embracing our shared humanity and the result has been a huge global refugee and migrant tragedy recently captured by the body of drowned 3 year old boy washed ashore. It is a serious opportunity to rethink our humanity and our shared values.

It is not uncommon to talk about professionalism, academics, and various institutional frameworks for governance, business, and the general polity. What may be missing sometimes may be an appropriate recognition of what the end is supposed to be. The aforementioned are undoubtedly means of achieving some end but the ultimate end is enhancing our humanity; positing our humanity into proper perspective; making the lives of people around us more wholesome and meaningful; developing the human capital towards realizing our goal of making our communities a better place. Nations, especially the developed countries, which are currently witnessing influx of refugees or immigrants, may need to change the narrative from being that of "fear and apprehension of being invaded" to a humanity narrative of "precious human capital that could drive positive change and innovation for greater progress". Humans are at the core of any development, prosperity and advancement in any geographical space. It is therefore time we started appreciating the value of our humanity in contextualizing policies and operations.

Meanwhile, some sense of order is required for any meaningful progress to be accomplished. Documentation is one of the vital tools in achieving our humanity essence. Therefore, as great human movement of refugees and migrants (unfortunately largely due to man-made disasters and violence) of our generation continues, neighboring and other concerned countries should prepare to make the process of documentation less cumbersome, transparent and devoid of profiling prejudices. We must understand that where we call "home" today was probably where our great grandparents migrated to in some distant past. One may need to check out some history about countries in the world starting in alphabetical in order to get a sense of “home” redefinition.  "Home" is in a constant state of flux and only the humility and consideration in our humanity that can bring that message home that we are not completely at "home" until everyone has a place to call "home". Forensic tools could be deployed to ensure that everyone is accounted for in manner that seeks to provide for their needs and track their progress in settling into a new environment. Good News is that in any community or groups, there are far more good people than the bad ones, who unfortunately tend to grab the headlines most times. However, trusting our humanity emboldens our common good and at the same time represses the operation and relevance of evil. We can only achieve this by focusing more on our shared values rather than on things that divide; rather than on things that cause us to fear and distrust; and rather than on terror. Humanity is a team work and we belong to one another. And this is the meaning of any skills, talents, professions or institutions we may hold. The true expression of these items is in promoting our humanity.

While I was Away....

I've missed my readers on this blog for some months. It has been a very eventful period since April 2015 when my last post was made. There have been new developments in Africa regarding the practice of Forensic Medicine and how Africa engages in addressing certain challenges on the continent and beyond with forensic knowledge and skills. Earlier this year, in the first week of March 2015, African practitioners gathered in Nairobi under the auspices of the African Society of Forensic Medicine (ASFM) for the annual forensic conference to discuss the theme: Forensic Management of Violence in Africa. Sub-themes included Management of Terrorism and Armed Conflict, Management of Sexual and Gender Based Violence and Interpersonal Violence and Injury Interpretation. Stakeholders like UN Women, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and other stakeholders were in attendance to contribute in charting a way forward towards reducing the scourge of violence in Africa especially with the upsurge in armed conflict and terrorism. Incidentally, where there is armed conflict or terrorism, sexual and gender based violence increases. The case of the Chibok girls abducted by the marauding Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria underscores the unfortunate nexus. Practical discussions were held on modalities of managing violence and the urgent need for nation states in Africa to adopt standard protocol that will guide practitioners in offering appropriate services. Emphasis was also placed on the urgent need for infrastructural and human capital development in forensic medicine and science in Africa.

Towards addressing great human distress associated with unidentified bodies following disasters, some of which are precipitated by violence, a dedicated team of African volunteers who could be deployed at short notice to assist communities plagued by mass causalities was inaugurated. The team named DVI Team Africa is the first of its kind in Africa and volunteers are mainly practitioners in forensic medicine and science. It will be easier to mobilize much needed support to assist in disaster management in any parts of Africa where such assistance is needed. The team could also contribute to international disaster management beyond Africa, when such involvement required. It is commendable that African practitioners are stepping up to being part of the solution to a complex and pervasive problem on the continent.

Meanwhile, many events of forensic relevance have taken place during this "leave of absence" period. There was a focus on the unregulated fertility practice in Nigeria, an alarm I had raised in my earlier blogs. An investigative journalist unraveled just a portion of this sordid story in the second week of August under the title: Ovum trading: Inside Nigeria's multi-million naira human egg business. I will be writing more on this and other issues in subsequent posts.

Finally, I wouldn't want to be away for a long time like in this case. However, work situation and exigencies sometime conspire to attenuate our commitment to other important issues. Working on maintaining a delicate balance is a continuous effort. And thanks for staying with this blog. Your comments will be invaluable to gaining more understanding about what happens around us in our different points of view.