I have borrowed the title of today’s article from a song by Ruth Reese, one of the first African-American, or Afro-American, singers to settle in Norway in the mid-1950s, a time when there were very few immigrants and people of colour in that country in the far north of Europe. It was the time when the Civil Rights Movement began its important work in the USA, also influencing most countries around the world, with Dr Martin Luther King Jr as its legendary leader, assassinated on 4 April 1968 at only 39 years old. But the forceful movement continued, led by Dr King’s widow, Coretta King, and others.

Ruth Reese was a pioneer in Norway and Scandinavia, receiving prizes for her work in her new homeland, as she married an ethnic Norwegian, Paul Shetelig, a bookshop owner, and settled in Oslo. She wrote many articles and a book, made a short film called Pride of Black Dreams, and gave speeches and performances at musical and other cultural events, enlightening people about the history of Afro-Americans in the USA, including in Alabama in the Deep South, where she was born, and in Chicago, where her family moved when she was a child. She was a clever student and received an education to become a school teacher, one of the few professions a Black American could enter in those days. Later, she studied classical music, and also performed what were called negro spirituals, religious songs from different Black American traditions. Before Ruth Reese settled in Norway, she had performed in many other countries in Europe and the Middle East.

Now this is history, and much has improved in race relations in the USA and most other countries, and the cruel apartheid system in South Africa is gone. Yet there is still work to be done, now also including inter-religious relations and the situation of immigrants and refugees, especially Muslims, in Europe and the West in general. In most countries, there is a need for greater openness towards followers of other religions and sects within one’s own religion. People who do not profess any religion, or who are particularly strong believers in one, should always be mindful of relating politely and with understanding to people of faith.

Ruth Reese is just one of many impressive figures who have enlightened us about the people’s call, their need for change, recognition and inclusion. We learn how important it is to let ordinary people know their own history and conditions, often unfair, and let them become messengers of their own history, making it possible for us as listeners to become better human beings through it. Ruth Reese did not only use words to do this in intellectual ways, but also music, song and film, allowing us to learn through emotions and other aspects of communication so that we can understand better and feel empathy.

The 1960s and 1970s were decades of alternative ideas and discussions, a time when standard ways of analysing society were questioned, bringing in neglected groups and their calls for participation, sometimes even getting mainstream society to see their points, whether it agreed or not. There was major opposition to the American war in Vietnam, to the West’s imperialism, and to how developing countries were kept out of the world economy, in spite of some development aid. There were large anti-military groups and movements, with pacifist and peace agendas. People thought it could be possible to fight for and achieve better conditions for lower and working-class people, against the upper classes and capitalists. It was the beginning of the more systematic and broad movement for women’s rights and gender equality. The important green and environmentalist movements also saw the light of day.

All these new movements and new ideas, and others too, were about one’s own rights, but often also about showing solidarity with others. In other words, as the title of my article indicates, we began to listen more to the people’s call, as Ruth Reese said in the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. True, these movements and ideas were a continuation of left-oriented political movements from the 1920s and 1930s, and of the decolonisation actions after WWII.

However, had we all listened more deeply to the people’s call, and internalised their issues, we would have been in a better position to stop the right-wing turn in Western politics from the 1980s onwards, including the populist and ultra-right movements that followed until this day, focusing especially on resistance to multiculturalism and the free movement of people, as well as a reduction in government spending and the role of international organisations. It is true, though, that sometimes the right-wingers do have some points, but unfortunately, they seem to argue from selfish positions, not from perspectives of empathy and solidarity, and certainly not by listening to needy and oppressed people and their call for justice and better conditions.

Alas, it is not only the right-wingers who today are on the side of the powerful, the rich and the super-rich. Often, most mainstream people argue for their own interests first, and then may leave a little window for development and humanitarian aid, and other help, for the needy. In our time, we should have established large movements for the creation of greater equality within and between countries, and certainly large peace movements working against the massive rearmament and militarisation of the NATO countries and the West, which is currently dominant. We should have had movements explaining to the public, the voters, that the current trends mean taking away funds from the real needs of people.

The Russian war in Ukraine should never have begun if Russia and NATO had done a better job after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. Russia should have been brought into the fold of the democratic world, but both sides failed. In the Middle East, the situation of the Israelis and the Palestinians should have been handled entirely differently, not allowed to go from bad to worse. Currently, Israel’s and the USA’s attacks on Iran and southern Lebanon cannot be justified. However, it is also true that Iran’s regime leaves a lot to be desired, but improvements should have come through dialogue, diplomacy and assistance for peaceful development. In Sudan, the terrible civil war has received too little positive attention from the international community. We have ignored the people’s call, and there has not been the right help for peace; sometimes, there has also been negative interference from foreign governments and private companies.

Let me remind us all of the importance of having the right values and objectives, and of working for peaceful solutions to conflicts, even if we know that our contributions are small, perhaps only gaining results over time. Again, let us be inspired by the work of Ruth Reese and her song saying that we should listen to the people’s call. It is the people themselves who know their needs, and the rest of us must realise that they have the right to require resources and organisational structures from the wider local society and the international community.

Finally today, I would like to congratulate Pakistan on its ongoing dialogue and peace creation efforts between the USA/Israel and Iran. We are all impressed and thankful to the political, military and diplomatic leaders.

Atle HetlandThe writer is a senior Norwegian social scientist with experience from university, diplomacy and development aid. He can be reached at atlehetland@yahoo.com

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