Photograph by Sebastiao Salgado
I thought that I would stay on the subject of the Rwandan genocide of 1994, considering how tragic and devastating the event was. This photograph depicts a Rwandan refugee camp in the country of Tanzania (Salgado). These people were trying to escape the social and ethnic violence of their home country.
Unfortunately, this is not just a problem in Rwanda. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) estimates, as of 2006, that there are a total of 20 million refugees in camps all around the world (Sluzki 1). The UNHCR lists these locations: Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans, Iran, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Timor, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia and Colombia.
It is hard to think that so many people have been displaced from their homes because of the problems in their respective countries. I think of how hard it would be to raise a child or to grow up in that kind of environment. We have really been so privileged to live in the United States and to have so many more comforts than the millions of others who do not, and are suffering.
Works Cited
1. Sebastiao Salgado. Photograph. "Migrations: Humanity in Transition [The Human Family Around the World]". Legends Online. PDN and Kodak Professional. Web. ND. 4 Feb. 2010.
2. Sluzki, Carlos. "Short Term Heavan, Long Term Limbo". Global Studies Review. UNHCR. Article. 2006. 2010.
20 million refugees. 20 million people. 20 million souls. That number shocks me. It is amazing how much we take the stability of our nation and government for granted. Sure, we can all easily find things to complain about whether it be taxes or Iraq, but when it comes down to it, we live in the best country in the world. Never has our country been racked with so much violence and corruption that we have had to flee our very homes. I cannot even begin to imagine the lives these people lead on a day to day basis. We are so blessed.
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