Women and young people, the cornerstones of a new era

Let’s all join together in the women and student protests of next 8 and 15 March -because equality concerns everybody without exception.

Women and young people will raise their voices, both in the street and in the cyberspace, to support the essential and urgent changes that must take place before we reach a point of no return.

At last, we’ll become “We, the peoples”, as we are referred to at the beginning of the Charter of the United Nations! In 1945 it was too soon because mankind still lived under the absolute male power and the vast majority of individuals were born, lived and died within a few square kilometres. They were fearful, obedient, submissive, silent human beings.

Today -thanks to a great extent to the digital technology- there are many human beings who can freely express themselves, who are aware of what is happening and, above all, women -who were marginalized for centuries- are about to play within a few years the essential role they deserve to play on an equal footing.

Humanity is facing for the first time in history potentially irreversible processes and this is why specially vigorous and tough measures must be taken to prevent the quality of our intergenerational legacy from deteriorating -something that would represent a historic mistake.

Unfortunately many individuals remain impassive spectators instead of being involved, committed actors. Mass media -many of which speak with the “master’s voice”- are, according to a brilliant expression from Soledad Gallego, very powerful weapons of “mass distraction”.

Scientific, academic, artistic and literary communities -in short, Intellectuals- should be aware of the seriousness of the current situation and trends, and should take the lead of popular reaction. But the bureaucratic-cybernetic maze that goes along with the neoliberal drift and the governance of its plutocratic groups (G7, G8, G20) has prevented up to now -there have been recently some upturns that can be of interest in that respect- the implementation of specific measures that were the cause in 2015 for great hope for those really aware of the nature of global threats posed by a world placed in the hands of irresponsible leaders. In fact, the Resolution of 21 October 2015 from UN General Assembly, where the 2030 Agenda is established together with 17 Sustainable Development Goals, is entitled “Transforming our World”. And Paris Agreements on Climate Change  were signed immediately afterwards in the firm belief that, if we bear in mind our descendants, we will understand how urgent it is to take action without delay.

The nomination of United States President Donald Trump, unexpected in so many respects, should have had an immediate response when he said he would not fulfil the commitments made by his predecessor. The European Union, a strictly monetary organization, didn’t have the ability nor the strength it should have shown at that time. On the contrary, following the instructions of the USA magnate, the G7 decided unanimously to increase funds devoted to defence (4,000 million dollars were already invested in military expenses and armament while thousands of people were dying every day from hunger and extreme poverty, most of them boys and girls ranging from one to five years old).

A new concept of security is urgently needed that will take into consideration not only the territories, but also food, health, education, environmental care... of people living within those territories.

“Two thirds of mankind have mobile communication”, as advertised in the International Mobile Congress that has just been hold in Barcelona. How wonderful! This can be the end of the governance of plutocratic groups and the beginning of a reinforced democratic multilateralism, with United Nations on par with the competencies it should assume immediately at a global scale.

Let’s join our voices to the voice of women and young people who in the next days will take the first steps to allow us to enter a new era in the best way possible.

On March 1st 2016 I wrote the following: “Your voice, / women around the world, / is the mighty force / that will move / what has until now been immovable. / A silent and unheard / voice / since the dawn / of time. / Today light is shed / on the roads / we’ll walk / together, / joining our voices / joining our hands / at the dawn / of a new era”.

Yes: let’s join our hands and voices!