Hostages or heroes?

 

Ingrid Betancourt today received the French Legion of Honour, the country’s most prestigious prize. From Chile, there is also talk of a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. Which begs the question: have we gone mad?

 

 

Don’t get me wrong. I think surviving an experience like Betancourt’s takes incredible courage and fortitude. But I don’t believe that ex-hostages are necessarily worthy of awards and prizes any more than the thousands of nameless persons who work all over the world for the betterment of their communities and countries. If Betancourt had been elected to public office in Colombia, and through her service brought about significant change and peace in her homeland, then certainly the accolades would be well deserved. But that has not happened – yet. If anything, the Colombian military strategists who managed to pull off her rescue should be the ones receiving the prize.

 

Betancourt is not the only ex-hostage to be honoured as such. Three former hostages in Afghanistan were awarded medals by the ex-king (now deceased). In 2004, Time magazine designated two Italian aid workers as heroes after they were kidnapped (and freed upon payment of a large ransom) in Iraq. Granted, the magazine stated that the two were heroes not because they were taken hostage “but because of their brave, good works”. But why not therefore honour the hundreds of other aid workers doing similar work in the difficult setting of Iraq?

 

When we start to recognise hardship as heroism, we set up every person with a sad story as worthy of an award. Real heroes are the ones who look beyond their own worlds and who actually manage to achieve a noble end.

Germany and kidnapping

 

Following recent news of the kidnapping of German tourists climbing Mt Ararat last week, Germans have come under attack in two more regions: three German tourists were abducted in Somaliland last week and two foreign workers affiliated with a German construction company in Nigeria also were seized on Friday. The German government, meanwhile, has called for the quick and safe release of its hostages but refuses to capitulate to the hostage-takers demands.