Lampedusa Tragedy, Human Nature and Inequality
Published: 7 October 2013 By Abiodun Giwa

The death of about 300 African migrants on their journey in a boat to cross the sea at Lampedusa last Monday has become part of human history and the struggle to escape inequality and poverty. It is inescapably part of human nature to struggle for better life in which some survive and others perish. It is a reminder about what happened sometime ago, not quite one year, when a struggling young woman and mother died in a struggle for realization of her goals in life, and one of her young nephews named Michael Jide said, "She died in the struggle."
President Goigio Napolitano said that the Lampedusa's experience is a true slaughter of the innocents to occur off Italian coast.
Reactions from Italian officials, European Union officials and journalists writing on the Lampedusa boat's tragedy are natural phenomena of human reaction to tragedy of monumental proportion that should have been avoided; but which nonetheless has been allowed to happen, because everyone is trying to protect own interests and whatever happens to humanity is secondary.
The Italian government has accused the EU of having turned blind ears to its call for enforcement on its border through which boats accessed its territory with deluge African migrants. The EU officials' of course have joined in the wailing for the dead and condemning the magnitude of the danger involving human lives as witnessed in the case of the 300 who died crossing in a boat last week. Some officials in Italy put the blame on the Dublin Regulation that says asylum seekers can only apply for asylum in a country they first find their feet.
Writers all over Europe chide European countries for building fortresses that have no consideration for others but themselves, short of saying that the mass of death at Lampedosu is a direct result of irrational immigration policy in Europe, where asylum policies keep a country like Germany from sharing from the burden of migrant influx from Africa and Asia.
"A terrible human tragedy is taking place at the gates of Europe, and not the first time," said Jean Laude Mignon, head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly in an interview with the Guardian. He said the EU must end this kind of occurrence and made a strident appeal for urgent action by member states to end what he called a shame.
The Italian interior minister and deputy prime minster, Angelino Alfano said, in an interview with Spiegel that he thought it was divine providence that has led to the tragedy so that Europe will open its eyes and called for a change to Dublin Regulation. Italy is crying that it should not be left alone to cope with the mass of influx of people from Africa and Asia. There is a strident call for the amendment of the asylum policy that puts the less rich countries around the borders to bare the brunt of mass of migrants, while a rich country like Germany can hardly be accessed by asylum seekers. What experts are saying is that the Dublin Regulation shields Germany from partaking in the protection of humanity.
Pope Francis called the boat accident and the resultant mass death a disgrace. What is manifest is that the struggling poor is rarely acceptable for asylum, unlike the rich politician. It is the poor who lacks the money and the connection to obtain papers in various embassies around the world. As a result, the poor have no choice than seek alternative means to travel in search of life that has been denied them in their home country.
Ironically, no single African leader has said anything about the fate of their children who died at Lampedusa. Commentators said these leaders are the direct cause of an inhuman system responsible for millions of people running away from their homestead in search of better life. Rather than develop their countries, many African leaders prefer to grab power beyond what God has allowed humans, enriching themselves at the expense of the people and creating unnecessary wars in struggles for power in the name of tribes and religion.
Some say it is true that human nature and inequality are natural, and that some are bound to have more than others. But people say where the have want to continue to have more always and without consideration for others as it is happening in many African countries will only create room for the type of situation many African migrants find themselves, crossing the borders with or without papers, and at times living unfulfilled life in their land of sojourn abroad.
The Italian premier, Enrico Letta, has declared that the dead African migrants have become Italian citizens. It means that those who have died among the drowned are automatic Italian citizens. Observers say that those who have survived the drowning may be lucky to achieve the aim of leaving their homestaed since they are expected to benefit from the prime minister's declaration as they cannot be turned back. But observers view the EU's decision to hold survivors for investigation over clandestine immigration as bringing another dimension to the issue. It means that the Eu's investigation does not show a continent willing to help people in need and defeatist to the Italian premier's declaration.
President Goigio Napolitano said that the Lampedusa's experience is a true slaughter of the innocents to occur off Italian coast.
Reactions from Italian officials, European Union officials and journalists writing on the Lampedusa boat's tragedy are natural phenomena of human reaction to tragedy of monumental proportion that should have been avoided; but which nonetheless has been allowed to happen, because everyone is trying to protect own interests and whatever happens to humanity is secondary.
The Italian government has accused the EU of having turned blind ears to its call for enforcement on its border through which boats accessed its territory with deluge African migrants. The EU officials' of course have joined in the wailing for the dead and condemning the magnitude of the danger involving human lives as witnessed in the case of the 300 who died crossing in a boat last week. Some officials in Italy put the blame on the Dublin Regulation that says asylum seekers can only apply for asylum in a country they first find their feet.
Writers all over Europe chide European countries for building fortresses that have no consideration for others but themselves, short of saying that the mass of death at Lampedosu is a direct result of irrational immigration policy in Europe, where asylum policies keep a country like Germany from sharing from the burden of migrant influx from Africa and Asia.
"A terrible human tragedy is taking place at the gates of Europe, and not the first time," said Jean Laude Mignon, head of the Council of Europe's parliamentary assembly in an interview with the Guardian. He said the EU must end this kind of occurrence and made a strident appeal for urgent action by member states to end what he called a shame.
The Italian interior minister and deputy prime minster, Angelino Alfano said, in an interview with Spiegel that he thought it was divine providence that has led to the tragedy so that Europe will open its eyes and called for a change to Dublin Regulation. Italy is crying that it should not be left alone to cope with the mass of influx of people from Africa and Asia. There is a strident call for the amendment of the asylum policy that puts the less rich countries around the borders to bare the brunt of mass of migrants, while a rich country like Germany can hardly be accessed by asylum seekers. What experts are saying is that the Dublin Regulation shields Germany from partaking in the protection of humanity.
Pope Francis called the boat accident and the resultant mass death a disgrace. What is manifest is that the struggling poor is rarely acceptable for asylum, unlike the rich politician. It is the poor who lacks the money and the connection to obtain papers in various embassies around the world. As a result, the poor have no choice than seek alternative means to travel in search of life that has been denied them in their home country.
Ironically, no single African leader has said anything about the fate of their children who died at Lampedusa. Commentators said these leaders are the direct cause of an inhuman system responsible for millions of people running away from their homestead in search of better life. Rather than develop their countries, many African leaders prefer to grab power beyond what God has allowed humans, enriching themselves at the expense of the people and creating unnecessary wars in struggles for power in the name of tribes and religion.
Some say it is true that human nature and inequality are natural, and that some are bound to have more than others. But people say where the have want to continue to have more always and without consideration for others as it is happening in many African countries will only create room for the type of situation many African migrants find themselves, crossing the borders with or without papers, and at times living unfulfilled life in their land of sojourn abroad.
The Italian premier, Enrico Letta, has declared that the dead African migrants have become Italian citizens. It means that those who have died among the drowned are automatic Italian citizens. Observers say that those who have survived the drowning may be lucky to achieve the aim of leaving their homestaed since they are expected to benefit from the prime minister's declaration as they cannot be turned back. But observers view the EU's decision to hold survivors for investigation over clandestine immigration as bringing another dimension to the issue. It means that the Eu's investigation does not show a continent willing to help people in need and defeatist to the Italian premier's declaration.
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