"The dreams of over 200 Egyptians who wanted to escape difficult economic conditions at home by finding passage to Europe were destroyed when the vessels carrying them sank early last week. Two ships sank separately near the southern Italian provinces of Siracusa and Calabria, resulting in the death of 22." Al Ahram Weekly, issue no 870.Of all the coverage of this disaster, I was mostly shocked by a TV interview with the father of one of the victims who was awaiting the return of his son's lifeless body.
When asked about what his reaction would be if another son of his would ever think of pursuing this deadly journey, the grieving father, and without any hesitation, replied that he would support and encourage him
When he was naively reminded of the dangers of this adventure, he insisted that trying and dieing in the attempt, is better than the slow death that is eating up the unemployed and desperate youth of his family and his village.
We cannot ignore this problem. Immediate action is a must and not an option. Desperation breeds tragedy and disaster, and untreated they will eventually touch us all.
1 comment:
Wow. As stereotypical as it may seem, usually when I hear stories of people like this trying to flee their native land in hopes of finding a better life elsewhere, I instinctively think that they are from the poorest of the poor countries (i.e. Mali, Burkino Faso, Sierra Leone, etc.). I can't believe Egyptians are now amongst these. I must have underestimated the conditions that Egypt is currently going through... so sad.
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