More often than not, the term ‘migrants’ has been used derogatorily and in a generalized manner to refer to people from less superior economic region in an economically superior region, otherwise referred to as ‘The West’. In the US ‘alien’ is the preferred general name. And in general terms most Westerners are referred to, by the western media, as either Expatriates or tourists when in economically inferior regions of the world. Following Westgate mall Attack in Kenya by Al-Shabab militant group, Western media utterly refused to accept the existence of the Kenyan middle-class by branding Westgate mall  ‘an upscale shopping mall’ frequented by tourists, western expatriates and rich Kenyans. Did anyone carry out a research to determine whether there were no western immigrants in Westgate, or was it just so obvious that all the Westgate terror victims of European extraction were either tourists or expatriates? This phrase was picked by certain budding Kenyan journalists who amplified it parrot-fashion.

The shopping mall played host to retail shops like Nakumatt supermarket. And true to the fact, supermarkets are not reserved for rich people. It shouldn’t be painted to look as if Africans have to be dollar millionaires for them to shop in the same shopping malls as Westerners, some of which had to save money for several months or years to avail themselves in Kenya- not every westerner can afford to travel to Kenya. And not all those who can afford are rich. Gone are the days when middle class in the west meant rich in Africa- in case there were such days.  This is not to deny the existence of poverty in Kenya or Africa but to question the connotations used in reference to Africa and Africans.

 Undeveloped population?

Each time a boat full of passengers from Northern Africa sink in the Mediterranean Sea en route to Lampedusa or Canary Islands, western commentators and analysts go throwing words that belittle the victims and make them sound like Martian specimens on the western media microscope.

Hugh Muir of The Guardian newspaper guardian.com threw in this question in his October 4^th article on Lambedusa tragedy.  “How do we reflect the truth that an undeveloped population – blessed or perhaps cursed with modern communications – will strike out for a better life in the developed world” One wonders whether this human being called Hugh Muir was referring to eight-week old foetuses, African semen swimming through to Europe or fellow members of the human race by his phrase “undeveloped population” in his nationalist article. I would expect better wordings from Hugh Muir, a man who is said to have written extensively about race and social policy.  

That aside, what values do fences, walls, barricades, border patrols and shoot-to-kill orders add to the image and worth of the migrant?  Imagine a Nigerian or Senegalese or black South African tourist landing in Lambedusa, will he/she be viewed in the same angle as his Australian, US or European counterpart? From a subjective point, I say No! It’s a ‘NO’ because it happened to me when a French woman who had arrived in Germany from her hotel job in Lampedusa confessed to me of perceiving that I was just another illegal and dangerous immigrant from Africa. I introduced myself by saying who I wasn’t rather than who I was. This is a case where a European citizen far from the EU external borders approaches an African with the same mindset as some immigration police officers. It made her feel better than me and more superior.

Migration is part and parcel of human life- it is human nature. We cannot turn a blind eye to the fact that we all move from Point A to B because of opportunity; to experience culture, have a close view of the Big five animals, for leisure, to do business, to study, to seek better medical care, to find shelter away from troubled places, to find jobs or better jobs... etcetera. But why should a human being decide on a deadly journey to a foreign land when the other option is to remain at home and be safe from the dangers of travelling? This is my perspective, Freedom. The forces of equality will always refuse to accept that freedom of movement is a reserve of the privileged. Hence no legislation, however hard and fast it may be, shall stop the movement of people from one place to another. If the legality of human being is a question of Law, it is a question of time before such a law succumb to the forces of freedom and equality. In history, walls have been built, shoot-to-kill orders issued, fences and other forms of barricades put in place to stop the movement of people across borders. But the forces of freedom have made such life-threatening barricades a total failure; the Berlin Wall collapsed, the Mexico-US border has failed to be effective, same for Egypt-Sinai barricade.  While serving as Border patrol spokesperson along US-Mexico border, Mike Scioli admitted that “the border fence is a speed bump in the desert.” His statement was a fulfilment of the ‘prophesy’ by Chief Randy Hill who, while serving as the border patrol chief for Del Rio Sector in Texas before the fence was built, said that the walls will not stop immigration. Instead, they "will slow down illegal crossers by minutes." He retired from his position after serving for only 10 months. His successor, Victor Manjarrez Jr also had to quit after serving for only 9 months and it is reported that most agents hired by the US customs and border patrol, CBP, quit their jobs within eighteen months. One would assume that the job is not well-paying. But some CBP insiders agree that the job needs someone with a different heart to do it- it is physically and emotionally draining. Some agents reportedly arrested and deported the same people more than three times. The arrests are done at all cost and often not pleasing when viewed at the lens of human rights. The frequent desertions by agents should also tell how impossible it is to stop the forces of freedom- freedom of movement. And no mind will want to be used to violate human rights.

In Europe, the European Union has fronted Frontex to do the same work along the EU external borders- The motto of Frontex is "Liberty Security Justice". This is ironic because in reality it is the immigrants they deal with that need liberty security and justice. Those coming from war-zones need security and protection under the 1951 Refugee Convention. Frontex has done enough to block such asylum seekers. This is an affront to justice too. Therefore, Frontex has nothing to relate to its own motto.  Like in the United States and Australia, the myth is the same in Europe, security. 

Once there was a massive human rights violation in a form of slavery, the victims and their sympathisers united to fight the vice to the near end. Then came colonization, and freedom fighters fought it. The next battlefront will be freedom of movement. Pick two random jobless youths, one from the streets of Soweto, South Africa or New Deli, India and the second from the streets of Brooklyn, New York or East London and give them $15,000 each for a budget tour around the world. You will realize that westerners have more freedom than those in other parts of the world. It is not easy for a person from the so-called third world country to cross western borders (even by air) like it is for a low-budget westerner to criss-cross the globe- even by bike. An African from, Nigeria, Angola or Tunisia for instance, has to show up in a western embassy and pay some fee for an embarrassing and, somewhat, degrading cross-examination in the name of the visa interview before being allowed or denied a chance to travel to the West.  Media reports indicate that asylum seekers crossing over to Europe from North Africa pay as high as $10,000 to reach Europe. This is just enough money to set up a business in their home countries and be financially independent. It should therefore be an eye-opener to those who believe that poverty in Africa is the only cause of migration to the north. They are either genuine asylum seekers or innocent people searching for greener pastures just like any other Italian running a restaurant in Malindi Kenya or a British tour operator in South Africa operating tour companies in South Africa.  We may use code words like security, illegal immigrants, visa, national interest and many other unique code-names but the forces of freedom and equality are finally getting synchronized with globalization. It is no longer about freedom of citizens in a particular nation or regional block; if the world is a global village, then there has to be equal rights and freedom to all global villagers.

Dominic Owuor Otiang’a

Author of United by a Strong Force of Separation and other tittles