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Written by: Kamran Mofid

Published: 07 December 2016

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 We Refugees

…I am told I have no country now
I am told I am a lie
I am told that modern history books
May forget my name.
We can all be refugees
Sometimes it only takes a day,
Sometimes it only takes a handshake
Or a paper that is signed.
We all came from refugees
Nobody simply just appeared,
Nobody's here without a struggle,
And why should we live in fear
Of the weather or the troubles?
We all came here from somewhere.-Benjamin Zephaniah

This is the crisis of our times, and how we respond to it is a test of our values, our spirit, our humanity, our ingenuity, our generosity, and our sincerity

“When I was reading some new poems recently, I was struck by how this one showed the universality of people displaced from their homeland. The news reports make refugees into a problem to be dealt with and seldom do we consider their desperation and individual stories. We Refugees has a first person narrator and an almost musical rhythm, so while it deals with serious subjects, it is not full of doom and gloom. There is a tone of regret, thoughts of what is lost and a tiny glimmer of hopefulness that a return could be possible at some point. The narrator could be any age or gender, actually, though my first impression was of a young person. They appear to be from Afghanistan, though it’s never named, but there are references to “a sunny, sandy place” “where girls cannot go to school” and “even young boys must grow beards”. The first part of the poem is a contrast between how the culture and the land itself has changed, the lush forest which is now a field and the dangers of music.

The most poignant part of the poem is the middle:

“We can all be refugees
Nobody is safe,
All it takes is a mad leader
Or no rain to bring forth food,
We can all be refugees
We can all be told to go…”

It points out how random and out of our control circumstances can be that creates refugees. And how timeless, too. The very places that are refusing people now were once full of people fleeing themselves not so long ago.
The end of the poem shows how the narrator is viewed by others:

“I am told I have no country now
I am told I am a lie”

This is how refugees are looked at, as a statistic, not as individual, as if their identity is erased, their family ties and names forgotten from both their homeland and the new places where they seek asylum. The final lines reiterate how it is just luck or good fortune which prevents others from facing a similar situation and offers a wish that those listening to the narrator will understand the connections that we all have, just by being human.

I was shocked that the author was not a refugee himself, but rather a man of Jamaican descent who grew up in the UK. He’s received numerous honors for his writings as both poet and novelist and is an activist for Amnesty

International and animal rights organizations. This poem is not the only foray into the issue, his novel Refugee Boy was published in 2001 and follows the journey of a boy affected by events in Ethiopia. It is the mark of a gifted writer who can convey the emotions and experiences that they have not experienced and this poem does it splendidly.”-Vulpes Libris

PEOPLE ON THE MOVE

Photo: amnesty.org/en/

“Every day, all over the world, people make the most difficult decision of their lives; to leave their homes in search of a better life.

Throughout history, migration has been a fact of life. The reasons people migrate are varied and often complex. Some people move to new countries to improve their economic situation or to pursue their education (such as migrants). Others leave their countries to escape human rights abuses, such as torture, persecution, armed conflict, extreme poverty and even death (such as refugees and asylum seekers).

Their journey can be full of danger and fear. Some face detention when they arrive. Many face daily racism, xenophobia, and discrimination. They are uniquely vulnerable, without the usual support structures most of us take for granted.”-Amnesty International

The Gift of Refugees and Migrants

‘It is a compelling theory, especially when you reflect upon the fact that Albert Einstein, Sigmund Freud, Mikhail Baryshnikov, Rudolf Nuryev, Marlene Dietrich, Alexandre Solzhenitsyn and Vladimir Nabokov were among but a few celebrity refugees and migrants.                                            

Imagine what the world would have missed had they not managed to forge a better life outside their country of origin.’-RadioFreeEurope

Famous exiles who have lived in Britain:

Camille Pissarro, painter from France;  Guiseppe Mazzini, political revolutionary, from Italy;  Victor Hugo, writer from France;  Lajos Kossuth, political revolutionary from Hungary  Karl Marx, political revolutionary from Germany  Vladimir Ilyich Lenin, political revolutionary from Russia  Peter Kropotkin, political revolutionary from Russia  Sun Yat Sen, nationalist leader from China  Sigmund Freud, psychologist from Germany  Frank Auerbach, Artist from Germany  Ruth Prawer Jhabvala, film writer from Germany  King Michael Hohenzollern, King of Romania  Emperor Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia  Arthur Koestler, author and journalist from Hungary  Oliver Tambo, Former ANC President from South Africa  Roberto Matta, artist from Chile  Irina Ratushinskaya, poet from former USSR  Wole Soyinka, writer and Nobel Prize winner from Nigeria  Geoffrey Oreyema, singer and writer from Uganda.

Refugees who have made their names in Britain 

Michael Marks, founded marks and Spencer  Sir Montague Burton, Burton retail  Dame Elizabeth Hill, pioneer of Slavonic studies  Andre Deutsch, publisher  Lewis Namier, historian  Sir Ernst Chain, biochemist  Sir Claus Moser, academic and statistician  Joseph Rotblat, physicist  Walter Neurath, publisher  Karen Gershon, poet  Robert Berki, political theorist  Lord Weidenfeld, publisher  Siegmund Nissel/Peter Schidlof, co-founders of Amadeus string quartet  Rabbi Hugo Gryn, leading Anglo-Jewish rabbi  Sir Alexander Korda, film director  Sir Karl Popper, philosopher  Sir Goerg Solti, conductor, Yasmin Alibhai Brown, journalist and editor  Alan Yentob, ex-BBC programmes director  Sousa Jamba, writer.

Three generations of talent  Victor Ehrenberg, an eminent historian of the ancient world and refugee from Czechoslovakia  Lewis Elton (his son), educationalist, the only professor of higher education in Britain before he retired, and Ben Elton (his grandson), comedian and novelist.

The Heritage and Contributions of Refugees to the UK – a Credit to the Nation

GCGI Christmas Appeal 2016: The Gift of Refugees and Migrants

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Written by: Kamran Mofid

Published: 06 December 2016

Hits: 2760

"We must tackle isolation and detachment caused by globalisation"- Mark Carney

Speaking against a backdrop of growing support for anti-establishment politicians, Carney repeatedly referred to people’s isolation, sense of insecurity and their frustrations with global trade and technology. Those forces had favoured the “superstar and the lucky”, he said. “But what of the frustrated and frightened?”

“From the rising spectre of global terrorism to intensifying geopolitical tensions and financial crises, for too long, for too many people, the world seems to be getting riskier,” he said in a lecture to Liverpool John Moores University.

Photo: reuters.com

Thank you Governor Carney for your honesty and truthfulness: I am not surprised. Canadians are known to be polite and honest.

In your speech in Liverpool on Monday, you said: “We meet today during the first lost decade since the 1860s. Over the past decade real earnings have grown at the slowest rate since the mid-19th century.”

This lack of growth had caused inequalities, and has led people to question their futures and the benefits of globalisation.

Many people across the advanced world were “losing trust” in a system that did not “raise all boats”, you said.

Far from enjoying a “golden era”, globalisation for these people had become “associated with low wages, insecure employment, stateless corporations and striking inequalities”.

You warned: “Turning our backs on open markets would be a tragedy, but it is a possibility.”

The success of populist, anti-establishment movements, such as Brexit, the rise of the French Front National and the recent Italian referendum, has been linked to dissatisfaction with globalisation across Europe. Middle-class incomes in Western economies have suffered with the growth of Chinese and emerging-market manufacturing and widespread automation.

You also noted that putting “individuals back in control” by equipping workers with the skills needed to adapt to technological change were vital.

You also said “the tide must be turned back on stateless corporations” in order to maintain a sense of fairness. “Companies must be rooted and pay tax somewhere,” he said.

You then listed three priorities:   

• “Economists must clearly acknowledge the challenges we face including the realities of uneven gains from trade and technology"
• "We must grow our economy by rebalancing the mix of monetary policy, fiscal policy and structural reforms"
• "We need to move towards more inclusive growth where everyone has a stake in globalisation."

Dear Governor Carney,

Thank you for what you said last night at Liverpool John Moores University: Very well said.

I do not wish to repeat myself again, but only to recall the words and sentiments of an Open Letter I had written to you on 12 June 2015, following on your fine speech at the Mansion House on 10^th of June.

In that letter, and again now, I wish to share with you that, in order to achieve the goals you have set for us, then and now, we need to have:

1-     A different economic model

2-    A different set of values

3-    A different educational values and models

4-    We must ensure that there is, once again, a sense of trust and fairness in all we do.

5-    And we must aim for an economy that is for the greater good, promoting social justice for all.

There in much more I can say and add to what I have noted above. But, I had said all these before in my Open Letter to you last year.

Therefore, I most humbly, offer the said Letter again for your kind attention and perusal:

Open Letter to Mark Carney, Governor of the Bank of England

I very much believe that if we take the above steps, and adhere to the points I have raised in my Letter, then, we have prepared the fertile soil to plant the seeds of what I believe is what people are asking for: Globalisation for the Common Good.

GCGI: Introduction and a bird’s eye view

‘We recognise that our socio-economic problems are a reflection of our attitude to life and to one another. Justice, peace and harmony will come about only when the connection between the spiritual and practical in life is valued by each one of us and in society at large. This is beautifully expressed in a Chinese proverb:

“If there be righteousness in the heart, there will be beauty in the character.

If there be beauty in the character, there will be harmony in the home.

If there be harmony in the home, there will be order in the nation.

When there is order in each nation, there will be peace in the world.”

This brings the problems of life closer to home. It is not ‘they’ who have to change, but ’we’ who have to change our attitude. It is a journey from ‘what’s in it for me’ towards discovering, living and promoting the common good. The principle of the common good reminds us that we are all responsible for each other – we are our brothers' and sisters' keepers – and must work for social conditions which ensure that every person and every group in society is able to meet their needs and realise their potential. It follows that every group in society must take into account the rights and aspirations of other groups, and the well-being of the whole human family.

One of the greatest challenges of our time is to apply the ideas of the global common good to practical problems and forge common solutions. Translating the teachings of philosophers, spiritual leaders and religious scholars into practical policies that statesmen can apply across the world is a challenge which Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative (GCGI) has taken on. The purpose is not simply to talk about the common good, or simply to have a dialogue, but the purpose is to take action, to work for the common good, using dialogue to resolve differences.

What the GCGI seeks to offer - through its research and conferences, as well as its outreach and dialogue projects - is a vision that places the quest for economic and social justice, peace and ecological sustainability within a spiritual context and a practice of open-heartedness, generosity and caring for others. All are thus encouraged by this vision to serve the common good.

The GCGI has from the very beginning invited us to move beyond the struggle and confusion of a life preoccupied with materialism to a meaningful and purposeful life of hope and joy, gratitude, compassion, and service for the good of all.

Perhaps our greatest accomplishment has been our ability to bring Globalisation for the Common Good into the common vocabulary and awareness of a greater population along with initiating the necessary discussion as to its meaning and potential in our personal and collective lives.

In short, at Globalisation for the Common Good Initiative we are grateful to be contributing to that vision of a better world, given the goals and objectives that we have been championing since 2002.’ 

Thank you.