ಆಫ಼್ರಿಕಾದ ಬವಣೆ ಮತ್ತು ಬದಲಾವಣೆ
ಒಂದಾನೊಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ ಮಾನವತೆಯ ಮೂಲವಾಗಿ ಬಿಂಬಿತವಾಗಿದ್ದ ಆಫ಼್ರಿಕ ಎನ್ನೋ ಖಂಡ, ಇಂದು ಬಹಳ ಸಂಕಷ್ಟದಲ್ಲಿದೆ. ಸುಡಾನ್ ನಲ್ಲಿ ಆಗಸ್ಟ್ 31ರಂದು ಮಡ್‌ಸ್ಲೈಡ್ ಆದ ಕಾರಣದಿಂದ ಸುಮಾರು ಸಾವಿರ ಜನರು ಕಾಣೆಯಾದರು, ಆದರೆ ಅದು ಅಷ್ಟು ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಮಾಡಲಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದರೆ, ಯುಕ್ರೇನ್‌ನಲ್ಲಿ ಹತ್ತು ಜನ ಸತ್ರೆ, ಅದು ಇಲ್ಲಿನ ಪತ್ರಿಕೆಗಳಲ್ಲಿ ದೊಡ್ಡ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಆಗುತ್ತೆ. ಹಾಗೇ, ಈ ವಾರದ ಅಫ಼ಘಾನಿಸ್ತಾನದ ಭೂಕಂಪದಲ್ಲಿ ಸಾವಿಗೀಡಾದ ನೂರಾರು ಜನರ ಬಗ್ಗೆ ಸುದ್ದಿ ಆಯ್ತು.
ಜನರ ಜೀವ ಮತ್ತು ಆ ಜೀವಕ್ಕೆ ಎಲ್ಲ ಕಡೆಗೆ ಒಂದೇ ರೀತಿಯ ಬೆಲೆ ಇಲ್ಲದಿರುವುದೇಕೆ?
ಒಂದು ಕಾಲದಲ್ಲಿ, craddle of humanity ಯಾಗಿ ಇದ್ದಂತಹ ಆಫ಼್ರಿಕ, ಇಂದು ಅನೇಕ ಕಾರಣಗಳಿಂದ ಬಳಲುತ್ತಿರುವುದೇಕೆ?
The journey outwards of Africa started about 300,000 years ago. And only recently, about 15-25,000 years ago, they arrived in the North & South American continents. That journey of Homo sapiens isn’t just a biological or geographical story. It’s a mirror to our existential longing.
1. Migration as Metaphor
Human migration from Africa wasn’t just about survival; it was about becoming. Each step outward was a step inward: a confrontation with the unknown, a test of adaptability, and a quiet yearning for belonging.
They left the cradle not because it was broken, but because we were restless to understand who we are.
This restlessness is the same force that drives artists to create, philosophers to question, and wanderers to roam. Migration is not merely movement; it is transformation.
2. The Paradox of Origin
Africa, the birthplace of humanity, is now often portrayed as the world’s wound. But this paradox invites reflection:
- Why does the origin of life suffer the most neglect?
- Why do we forget the soil that bore our ancestors?
Perhaps it’s because we’ve mistaken technological advancement for moral progress. The true measure of civilization isn’t skyscrapers—it’s compassion.
3. The Silence Around Suffering
The mudslide in Sudan, the famine in the Sahel, the wars in Congo; these are not just news items. They are **ethical failures** of global consciousness.
“When suffering becomes routine, empathy becomes optional.”
Philosophers like Emmanuel Levinas remind us that ethics begins with the face of the Other. If we cannot see the face of a Sudanese child buried in mud, we have lost something essential.
4. The Eternal Return
Nietzsche’s idea of eternal recurrence asks: if you had to live your life over and over, would you choose it again?
Apply that to humanity: if we had to migrate again, would we still leave Africa? Would we still build borders, hierarchies, and systems that forget their origin?
5. A Call to Remember
Africa is not a continent to be pitied; it is a continent to be remembered. To honor its legacy is to honor ourselves.
“We are all migrants of time, of memory, of meaning. And the journey is not over.”