By Ephraim Agbo
Welcome to tonight’s feast. As we gather around this globaltable, we are reminded that every course served represents the world’s present reality. The flavors tonight are bold, bitter, and often difficult to swallow, but they’re here to teach us, challenge us, and hopefully inspire us toward change. Let us take each bite with care, for these stories are more than just food for thought—they are the truths of our time.
First Course: A Bitter Stew of Conflict and Hope
We begin with Africa, where Democratic Republic of Congo serves us a bitter stew that burns with the heat of ongoing violence. The smell of M23 rebels and government forces clashing fills the air, a pungent reminder of the relentless conflict tearing apart families and futures. Thousands displaced, thousands dead, and for what? The taste of helplessness lingers. The world watches from a distance, and yet, no solution seems to be on the horizon.
But amidst this, a rare moment of unexpected sweetness emerges from Côte d'Ivoire—peace talks that offer a glimmer of possibility. Is this hope truly attainable, or just another fleeting illusion? As we chew on this question, we find ourselves yearning for a world where peace is more than a passing thought, where nations truly put down their weapons and choose dialogue over destruction. Africa’s story is raw, unfiltered, and painfully real. But even in its bitterness, we hold out hope—hope that tomorrow might taste different.
Second Course: A Heavy Dish of Suffering and Dissonance
The next course is rich, yet weighed down by layers of tragedy. The war in Ukraine, like a thick sauce of sorrow, spills over the plate. Over 60,000 civilians missing, families torn apart, cities reduced to rubble—all in the name of power, all in the name of control. We swallow this bitter dish slowly, the taste of despair gnawing at our insides. And still, the war rages on, indifferent to human suffering.
But just when we think we can’t take another bite, India serves us a fleeting morsel of hope—the tiger population is on the rise, a symbol of life fighting against extinction. It is a sweet moment, but it feels so small in comparison to the feast of pain we’ve just consumed. The sweetness can’t erase the cruelty of the course before us, but it serves as a reminder that, even in the darkest times, life finds a way to endure.
Third Course: A Plate of Tragedy, Betrayal, and Unresolved Grief
We move to The Americas, where the weight of tragedy and betrayal sits heavy on the table. The plate is filled with the remnants of a devastating aviation disaster in Washington, D.C., where 67 lives were lost. A cold, silent grief fills the room as we reflect on the families left behind—broken, shattered by the loss of their loved ones. This dish is not one of comfort, but one that demands a moment of remorse, a pause to honor the lives taken too soon.
But there is more bitterness in this course. The Trafigura scandal—a corruption so deep, so entwined in the business world, it leaves an aftertaste of distrust and outrage. The greed, the lies, the disregard for humanity in the name of profit—these are the true flavors of the dish. We sit in disbelief, wondering how much longer the world will tolerate this rot at the core of its systems. Is this the future we want to leave behind? Or can we, perhaps, take this moment of discomfort and demand better for the generations that follow?
Fourth Course: A Bitter Salad of Division and Xenophobia
Then this course arrives, a salad of dissonance, division, and xenophobia. The bitterness of immigration protests in Germany fills our mouths. The flavors are harsh, underscored by a growing sense of alienation and fear. What happened to compassion? What happened to empathy? We chew slowly, hoping for some taste of unity, but find only sharp, divisive ingredients—fears stoked, communities fractured.
Germany, once the beacon of hope, now finds itself at a crossroads, with xenophobic sentiments rising to the surface. We can’t help but feel a pang of sorrow for those caught in the middle—the migrants, the refugees, and the minorities who are often left to fight for their place in a world that seems increasingly hostile. This course is not one of reconciliation, but one that forces us to confront the deepening rifts in our societies.
And yet, there’s a question that lingers—will Europe ever truly heal? Can it emerge from this bitter salad and find a way to come together in understanding? Or will this divide deepen, like an uncrossable chasm, keeping us from the shared future we so desperately need?
Fifth Course: A Sweet Bite of Change, But at What Cost?
Finally, Oceania presents us with a sweet, delicate dish—Mount Taranaki’s legal recognition as a living entity in New Zealand. The sweetness of this act cannot be denied. It’s a bold, refreshing bite, reminding us that nature has its rightful place in the conversation about justice and equity. It’s a moment of triumph for both humanity and the earth. But as we savor it, we cannot ignore the bitterness underneath—the reminder that this fight for justice has taken centuries, and that too many have fought and suffered just to be heard.
We ask ourselves: why did it take so long for this step to be taken? Why must progress come at such a high cost? The sweetness of this gesture is tempered by the sorrow of its late arrival. And yet, we cannot help but feel that it represents a small victory—a victory that may one day serve as a blueprint for how we can begin to heal our fractured world.
As the Meal Ends: A Call to Action, Not Complacency
As the final plates are cleared, we are left not with the comfort of a satisfying meal, but with the weight of a world that is anything but settled. Africa’s conflict, Asia’s suffering, The Americas’ tragedies, and Europe’s divisions have left us unsettled, questioning the world we’ve inherited—and the one we will leave behind.
But there’s one final bite to consider: hope. It’s not served on a silver platter, nor is it easy to find. Hope is not a dessert to be savored lightly—it’s a hard-earned dish that requires us to look at the suffering, the division, and the bitterness, and still choose to act. The time for complacency has passed. The world needs us now more than ever.
Thank you for joining us at tonight’s table. May this meal stir not just reflection, but action. As we rise from this table, let us carry with us the weight of the world’s hunger for justice, for peace, and for humanity. And let us vow that we will no longer wait for others to serve us the change we seek. We must be the ones to reach out, to heal, and to build a future where every course is one of hope, unity, and shared progress.
Until tomorrow, when we continue to digest the lessons the world has to offer.
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