Annually, on December 9, the world observes the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime, as well as the 74th anniversary of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
Albeit important to remember the various genocides humanity has experienced over the centuries, it is "tragic that we have to even have a day to remind us that we have to respond to challenges of genocide and to prevent it as a crime," according to Dr. Rasigan Maharajh, Chief Director of the Institute for Economic Research on Innovation, Tshwane University of Technology.
"It's really a negative statement about our humanity as a whole," Dr. Maharajh stresses.
The academic raises a question about why "the collective West," comprising an eighth of our planet, having the "responsibility and mechanism" that is necessary to stop the genocide in Gaza, continue "aiding and abetting."
"It's that complicity and culpability that we now see with respect to the countries that support, and they are very few, the actions of Israel against the peoples of West Asia and Palestine in particular at the moment," Maharajh answers.
Dr. Maharajh continues to propose that had "racial or ethnic identities" been replaced with "embracing our common humanity," genocide "would not have occurred, would not have been prevalent, and will not be able to occur in the future."
He believes that "reframing our thinking" from a win-lose scenario to a more collective cooperation is key to a harmonious coexistence.
"We need to reframe our thinking, such that we pull away from seeing things as my gain has to be your loss, towards how it is that we jointly, how we collectively, how we cooperatively, socially enjoy the benefits that come from our transactions and engagements together," Maharajh highlights.
On a more positive note, Dr. Maharajh shares his vision of the future based on "social surveys conducted amongst the generations." According to his observations of younger generations, "they actually see a future which transcends the borders as we've established them.
"I've seen the green shoots of a very different way of seeing the world, not of my generation [...] The way in which the world recognizes the threat that we are confronted by, but is not locked into the ill-framed, ill-fashioned forms of neocolonialism and the new imperialism as we see today," he concludes.
To hear what else the academic has to say, check out the entire episode of the AfroVerdict podcast, brought to you by Sputnik Africa.
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