We Will Rise Again
In memory of the victims of the Ethiopian Airlines plane crash
It has been an incredibly sad day here in Oslo, throughout the East Africa region, at the Norwegian Refugee Council, and for the humanitarian sector at large. Collectively, we lost so many dear colleagues and friends in the ET302 plane crash yesterday. Here at NRC we spent the day walking around with heavy hearts, acutely aware of the magnitude of this loss, both for us as individuals and for the world.
On this plane were humanitarians, peacekeepers, priests, diplomats, professors, students, researchers, journalists, and activists who were engaged in amazing work for refugees, for the environment, and for the African continent. I have been refreshing Twitter for the last 36 hours, as if the latest update will be something different than another name and face of a bright leader who had so much more to offer humanity.
As I walked into the office today, mentally preparing for an all-staff gathering in honor of two incredible NRC colleagues we lost on this flight, my mind kept coming back to the memory of this beautiful sunrise over our office a few weeks ago. In Oslo, there’s not very much sun or color at all during January, so to witness a sky like this is really a stunning sight after walking to and from work in full darkness every day for weeks on end.
Since I’ve moved to Norway, people often ask me what it’s like experiencing such dramatic shifts in the sun patterns throughout the year, as we move rapidly from just 4 hours of darkness in summer to just 4 hours of daylight in winter. For me, this incredible phenomenon has been a humbling reminder that the perpetual rhythm of the universe is so much more powerful and everlasting than the trivial ebbs and flows of my day-to-day human life.
As someone with many close personal ties to East Africa, I am shaken to my core by this horrific tragedy. My breaths are shallow knowing one of the victims could have easily been a close friend of mine or even myself. Several people I know lost dear friends in this accident. Several people dear to me missed this flight by a few days. Several people in our circles still go unaccounted for. And, for the first time in my life, an airline tragedy has rendered me completely paralyzed by the thought of flying — this coming from someone who has been on 52+ planes in the last 52 weeks.
This January sunrise I cannot forget is so striking to me because it illustrates a poignant reality that while a dark, dark shadow was cast over our community yesterday, we know that glimmers of hope will slowly start to reappear. Right now time is standing still, but the earth will inevitably start turning again — from winter to summer, from night to day, from despair to hope, from sadness to joy.
In honor of the 157 beautiful people whose lives were tragically cut short yesterday, I pray that those of us who knew them and knew of them will be inspired to carry out their unfinished vocations to do great things for East Africa and for the world. There is no denying those who are no longer with us left incredibly big shoes to fill, and I pray that we all can rise up to finish the race — with hope and without fear — when the sun rises again.
Rest In Peace.
Written on 11 March 2019
