Libya
A few weeks ago, CNN International and their investigative journalism team released footage of a live slave auction taking place in North Africa. Apparently, hundreds, if not thousands of men in Lybia have been swept into a slave trading operation that’s hard to even rationalize in 2017. Gruesome images have started to surface, and this entire situation makes it extremely hard not to question everyone involved, and everyone not involved.
Slave trading was officially abolished in Tripoli (the capital of Libya) in 1853. But in 2017, men in Libya are literally being captured and sold into slavery like the Ottoman Empire is still in power. And roughly 6,000 miles away, our President is more concerned with making sure a pedophile gets elected to the Senate, and whether or not he’ll be named Time Magazine’s ‘Person of the Year.’
One would think modern-day slave auctions and the POTUS campaigning for a pedophile were just really bad jokes from an up and coming comedian; except they’re not, they’re both true and should deliver a blow to everyone’s sense of humanity and moral compass.
Where’s the UN? Where’s the outrage and global outcry for Libya? Where are the social media campaigns similar to what followed immediately after the recent terrorist attacks in Paris or Las Vegas? Did the previous administration know about such acts, particularly the former Secretary of State, Hilary Clinton? [I don’t think anyone believes these slave auctions popped up overnight in Lybia.]
A question you probably won’t hear on MSNBC, CNN, or FOX: If these people getting captured and sold into slavery were white and not black, would the world, in particular, the West, be moving much faster to find a solution?
CNN and their international team of investigative journalists deserve a lot of credit for uncovering this unthinkable atrocity in North Africa.
Trump
In Washington, of course, politics supersedes everything… even modern-day slavery. A few days ago, President Trump tweeted, “CNN International is still a major source of (Fake) news, and they represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly. The outside world does not see the truth from them!” And as if this story couldn’t get any worse, now Libyan’s State Media is using Trump’s claim to discredit CNN’s investigative journalism that uncovered this bombshell.
We are correct in asking where’s the outcry. And more importantly, where’s the global attention and action required to immediately address this situation?
As African American’s watch this play out, it’s hard for many of them not to believe that our government might be a little more active and concerned if not for the color of their skin. With that being said, it’s probably safe to say the White House won’t be spending much time worrying about whether or not slave auctions are being held in Lybia. There are clearly more important things for them to worry about.
(No Claps Yet)
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It’s always been puzzling to me how much we talk about slavery from Europeans but fail to talk about the enslaved black Africans by the Arabs in North Africa and the Middle East. Is it because of the number of Muslims on the African continent? We barely take about the hand Islam had in the slave trade (not the trans-Atlantic, the one that was there before the Europeans came) High unemployment and low government accountability has these young men willing to risk it all to provide themselves and their family members with basic needs-traversing the Atlantic in banana boats to get to Europe and even hiding in the wheels of aircraft to get off the continent (Hello NYC residents waking up to chopped body parts on the front stoops). Global civil society is constantly gaining from Africa but continues to allow it suffering. I don’t expect much from the rest of the world. I expected to hear a lot more (maybe even just a little bit) from Africans on this matter. Where are you Dambisya Moyo, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Presidnet Obansanjo, President Zuma? They’re silent because talk isn’t going to help and because, I dare say, they knew all along. Until these local economies are recovered these things will continue to happen. Look at recent dealings coming out of Africa. What we have is modern day colonialism; news of slavery was sure to follow. Would this be happening if Gaddifi were still alive?