Norway Attacks and Us

By GABRIEL BANDA

2011 AUGUST 25

STILL, the recent bomb and shooting attacks in Norway make us reflect on many things. On the evening of Thursday, July 21, 2011, John Y Jones, a colleague of ours based in Oslo, Norway, phoned.

John supports a pacifist, nonviolent, living. John and I also talked about his daughter Marie, who in recent years gave Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president, some gift of white handkerchiefs, some image KK has used some fifty years now as symbol for reaching out in greeting and peace with those he meets and waves to.

And then on Friday, July 22, 2011, I went to bid goodwill and farewell to Tori Hoven, Norwegian embassy Charge d' Affaires and Head of Development Cooperation recently acting Norway's Ambassador in Lusaka, and her young children who, like their mother, have lived much in Africa. Now, they were relocating to Oslo.

And, later, I learnt that on that Friday, July 22, there had been the attacks in Norway. Many died and many were wounded. Anders Behring Breivik, a white Norwegian, has been associated to these crimes and charged.

I wondered about the situation of colleagues and persons I know who live in Norway. Some are from Zambia and various parts of Africa. I thought of friends and colleagues of long who were born and native to Norway.

My mind thinks about colleagues Tosten and Ingrid, our classmates at Lusaka's Kamwala Secondary School, and their safety.

Although the bomb and shooting were in particular places of Norway, which has a population of some 4.9 million, you think about colleagues who are in various places.

Some four times I have visited Oslo and Norway. At colleague Oystein Tveter's birthday anniversary and remembrance for his contribution to events in Africa and elsewhere, we had a session at the Nobel Peace Prize committee's home.

At other times, we have had international meetings, at Oslo's Voksenaasen, seeking healing over some events that happened in some parts of the world.

And Norway’s July 22 attacks occurred around the time of the “midnight sun.” For some time in June and July, the sun does not set. I often remember July for our northern city of Tromso experience of the “midnight sun.”

We were for days in Tromso with Ole Danbolt Mjos, one time chairperson of the Norwegian Nobel committee, which awards the Nobel Peace Prize. Amongst his public service contributions, Ole Mjos is a respected medical doctor and academic.

One time he visited us in Lusaka and tried to learn about issues here. And at the University of Tromso, which Ole Mjos was associated with, a peace studies programme, with contribution from our activist colleague Jorgen Johansen, is in place.

I also know that many persons, concerned about possible terror attacks, wanted the American embassy moved from its Oslo location near some Norwegian royal premises.

And Norway, as other Nordic nations, enjoys high quality of life where legal residents, citizens or migrants, are entitled to basic needs. The prosperity of a person helps the whole society. High income taxes and earnings from government owned Statoil oil firm help the will for social welfare for all.

Thus, this society associated with social welfare and peace making through various Oslo accords on conflict areas of the world, through its support of refugees and migrants, and through the Nobel Peace award was shaken by events of July 2011.

The attacks and responses make us reflect on violence, prejudice, cultures, migration, citizenship and the modern state, living together, variation of human lives, unity of humanity, and other issues.

Some initial reaction to the bombing and shooting show prejudice. There was judgement from attitudes and feelings, without foundation, that the attacks must have come from “the other,” from amongst migrants or those, from other cultures, that wage violence against Western made images, way of life, and actions.

Many attacks and defences are made against persons considered “the other” and external to a group. Barriers are put up against “the other.” Negative discrimination is linked to issues like skin colour and race, being male or female, and factors ethnic, cultural, religious, regional, origin, and being migrant.

Generally, it is not considered that attackers could arise from within. Groups are often unprepared for attacks from within and against other members of the group. They may expect their aggrieved and hostile members might attack other persons from other groupings.

Worldwide, attacks against “the other” have been made by persons acting as individuals or small teams. Sometimes, as in Nazi Germany against Jewish persons and others, and South Africa against dark skinned persons and others, the hostile actions are organised by governments and institutions set up.

Rarely is it expected that persons against migrants and “the other” will physically attack, even to kill, those innocent persons considered to be from their own grouping. While unhappy with tolerance of their kith and kin for migrants and “the other,” many hostile persons still consider the tolerant still part of them.

But, quite rare, the tolerant and open members of the group may be considered betrayers in league with the accommodated migrant or “other,” and are lined up for punishment.

The punishment is collective, not selective and targeted, on those associated with the tolerant and accommodative team members, and even those from their families and groups such as political parties, as in the recent Norway attacks.

Strong hostility towards “the other” has existed worldwide. During colonisation, slavery, and apartheid in the USA, many who were not Euro-Americans suffered. But in April 1995, angry Euro American Timothy J McVeigh was linked to bombing that killed and injured innocent local persons.

And in September 2001, the evil aircraft attacks, linked to external persons, claimed many innocent lives, from many parts of the world, and led to reactions greatly affecting relationships amongst the world's citizens.

And Kuwaiti's Bidun population does not have equal citizenship with others. Part of the current conflict in Arabia is linked to being more or less citizen than others.

In Africa, cycles of genocide in Rwanda and Burundi have been linked to struggles over citizenship and rights. Some Congo DR wars have been associated with citizenship rights.

In South Africa, after the abandoned official harsh racist apartheid, there are still hostilities by some citizens against persons from other locations of Africa. Many, some from societies that hosted freedom fighters from South Africa, have been killed in what is softened as “xenophobia” but may be crime against humanity.

In Ivory Coast, the recent civil war was mainly caused by rulers' denial of equal citizenship for persons from some areas. The blocking of presidential candidate Alassane Ouattara and making as lesser some persons from some regions by using parentage clauses fueled the civil war.

Anti-immigrant or anti-migration attitudes and practices have led to what we will here call migration related violence, MRV. The concept of restricted “alien” and citizen harms the world.

Variation can be enriching for all. Canada's is one example of commitment to non-discriminatory citizenship. Tapping wide talents helps growth and balance of societies.

Rigid divisions are human manufactured boundaries within the mind. They have no real basis, except as created and believed by those who hold them. But the force of love, goodwill, and social bonding is always stronger.

There is no stranger in the world. Each person is important for the wellbeing of the whole world. Wherever we are is the centre of this round world. We all are part of teams working together, worldwide. As writer Maya Angelou says, “We are more alike than unalike.”

Gabriel C. Banda is a poet, columnist, writer, social development worker, and observer of conflict and peace processes. He has been a volunteer special assistant to Dr Kenneth Kaunda, Zambia's first president, when Dr Kaunda was out of office. Gabriel Banda holds an MA in Peace Studies from University of Bradford, England.