Written by Sabine Demosthenes
MONTREAL – ” Mother, mother… There’s too many of you crying. Father, father… there’s too many of you dying. We must find a way to bring some living here today.”
Those are the timeless lyrics from the song “What’s Going On” from one of the greatest artists of all time, The Great Marvin Gaye. These lyrics are sadly still, true in 2018.
When Nadia Murad received her Nobel Prize earlier this week and I saw her sweet, pensive face, this song came to mind. I felt so sad for her and all the Yazidis who were victims in this silent genocide. They lost their mothers, their fathers, their sisters, their brothers, and their world. I wish Nadia’s whole family could have been in Oslo, beaming with pride over their baby girl. Unfortunately, it wasn’t the case. However, one the most beautiful things in life, even when life throws you a curveball, friends can become your family. In the audience at the ceremony, Nadia’s friend and attorney, Amal Clooney and her fiancé were there.
Nadia is fighting pretty hard with the help of Amal and many more to bring ISIS to justice. In the meantime, victims all around the world are living in fear because of the acts of hate and violence against their families and friends who are no longer with us.
The fact that in 2018 we are still saying, even singing, “What’s Going On”, it’s pretty alarming.
When women are still sexually assaulted and beaten to death in 2018, What’s Going On?
When fathers, brothers, uncles, friends have been killed because they wanted to protect their family in a pacific way, What’s Going On?
When people of different faiths are being killed for pacifically preaching love, What’s Going On?
When journalists are being tortured, blackmailed and killed for writing about these atrocities, What’s Going On?
What’s Going On?