Shocking statistics on other crises should grab our attention. Why don't they? Global Dispatch | The Guardian
There has been anger in some quarters over the response to Ukrainians who have managed to get out: a feeling that people and politicians show support for only the “right” type of refugee. A European with pets that could be our pets and children who wear similar clothes to ours. More neighbour than stranger. More white than black. Ukraine is undoubtably diverting attention from others who need help – geographically distant, but in equally dire straits. A story this week by Lizzy Davies revealed 91% of Britons knew about Vladimir Putin’s war, but only 23% knew of drought and impending famine in east Africa. It was, said Christian Aid, which compiled the research, “deeply concerning”. We have a long history of ignoring major issues until something – often a picture – ignites interest. The 2015 photo of drowned toddler Alan Kurdi on a Turkish beach shocked people into understanding a migrant crisis was under way. Or the 1984 BBC film from Ethiopia which didn’t interview any Ethiopians but which broke through into public consciousness despite previous newspaper and TV coverage of the famine. I don’t underestimate how much racism or “othering” exists in what awakens national compassion, but a whole psychological remit is at play. There is a disconnect over distance, there is the struggle to grasp it when huge figures are bandied about, there is the reluctance to feel the weight of our impotence in the face of disaster. But there is also the issue of understanding. The Ukraine coverage has been dominated by reporters giving voice to refugees themselves, making the resultant stories particularly resonant. Oxfam and Save the Children put out a press release this week in which they estimated that someone died of hunger in east Africa every 48 seconds. Timed to lobby G7 leaders, it was an overwhelming statistic. But people can’t put a face to that one person. No one need feel angry that Britain is “too focused” on Ukrainians – we just need to recognise ourselves in east Africans too. Tracy McVeigh, editor, Global development |
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