Force of nature
For the past week,
the airspace above most of the UK and continental Europe has been
closed. Who would have thought that what terrorism and war could not
achieve since the skies opened to man with the first flight in 1800,
the force of nature could.
Who would have
thought that the eruption of a volcano, with an almost unpronounceable
name, Eyjafjallajokull, in a small island famous for its white
silica-mud and bathing in the Blue Lagoon Mud, and infamous for its
bank that trapped the deposits of UK local councils, could have such a
reality-altering and economically devastating impact on a 21st century
world.
One of the major
cultural differences between the Western world and the rest of the
world is our relationship with nature and our attitude towards it.
To be generous to
the West, as outlined in Kluckholn and Strodtbeck’ dimensions of
culture, is that some people believe that we “should live in harmony
with nature, preserving and supporting it. Others (and perhaps a
majority now) see nature as our servant and supplier. This view allows
us to plunder it without concern. In other parts of life this
translates into the use of all kinds of resources and whether it is
used up or sustained.” Living harmoniously with nature involves
controlling it to some extent. This attitude is largely predicated upon
the premise that with planning, preparation, and the investment of a
whole lot of money, they can avert, mitigate or cope with whatever
nature throws at them.
Lately, with
unstoppable bush fires, destructive landslides, raging storms and
shattering earthquakes, that confidence is gradually being eroded.
This time, coming
on the heels of recovery from a man-made financial crisis, governments
are struggling and sometimes failing to cushion and prepare for the
effects on their citizens and local economies of this natural disaster.
There have been
several indicators that life, as we know it, has substantially changed.
Firstly, why should failing mortgages in the Unites States affect my
local bank and the availability of loans for my business?
Iceland can attest
to the fact that they never thought they would be so hard hit. This was
just the precursor to the potential downside of what it means to be a
global village.
Downside of global village
Another indicator
is how plastic waste and industrial pollutants thrown in inland creeks
make their way onto the coastline of the Bight of Benin, and across
national borders further afield.
Now, the combined
effects of an ash-cloud emanating from an island has closed the skies
over almost all of continental Europe and putt paid to all the plans we
had for the past seven days.
People are talking
about the negative impact on the airline industry, on the hospitality
industry. They are also talking about profiteering on trapped
passengers in the hotels, car hire companies, trains and ferries.
Lately, the focus
has shifted to the significant impact on industry, agriculture, and
retail owing to the unavailability of air cargo services. It got me
thinking. Yes, some of our governors and ministers are trapped in
Europe. Others are trapped here on their way to Europe, including
foreign students who returned home for Easter and cannot get back now
that term has started.
Look inwards
This has been a
lesson in self-sufficiency for every nation. In the event of a
disastrous event that isolates us from other nations, or from other
continents, can we feed ourselves? Can we tool and equip ourselves and
can we heal, educate, trade within our borders, sustain our businesses,
retain Internet access? The world really has globalised, but have we
all continentalised, and regionalised? Are we saying that there are
insufficient markets in Africa for the cut flowers and green beans from
east Africa?
Multinationals are
here precisely because Nigeria alone is a massive market – not just for
goods and services, but for human and material resources too.
In medical
emergencies, until recently, our VIPs flew themselves to the UK,
Germany and the US. Lately, they fly to the Middle East, India and
South Africa. But if our borders were closed and the skies were a no-go
zone, even with billions of dollars, the air ambulance would not make
it.
Where would we be
able to get quality medical care? Where would those trapped foreign
students enrol to gain a similar standard of education to what they
have abroad? Are we prepared or even now preparing for that eventuality?
Our religious
community must be ecstatic. We are fond of phrases such as “God
willing”, “Insha Allah”, “Deo Volente (D.V.)”, “L’agbara Olorun;” but
for how many people are they more than just turns of phrase, or habits?
They take on a new
poignancy now. The consulting gynaecologist who was due to start his
job at a UK hospital, last Tuesday, did not tell them he would be there
by “God’s grace.” He is only one of a multitude whose plans have come
to nought. God willing, we will reach the destination tomorrow that we
are planning and working towards today.
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