Who Will Cover The Ones Dying On Duty To Cover The Ones Who Make News?
Photo Journalist, Danish is no more. The ones who cover the ones who make news, seldom make news. But a rare few do. A rare few of this rare few do so while still alive, hale & hearty… for their award-winning work. Sadly, most of them make more news in their death, if at all. That is the lot of Writers & Journalists, whether of the poetic or photo kind.
Om Shanthi, Danish. Zidd Kyun Ki, to be in Afghanistan
A few, recognized for their work, may still be questioned for the skew they have given to the view. Danish may also be guilty of that. But then, does not some of our work (even if not all), whatever be our work, reflect at least a tinge of our circumstances, our upbringing, our values, our despair, our hopes, our fears…. Possibly more so with Journalists. One may have an axe to grind with the slant the lens sometimes took. The lens of Indian photo-journalist Danish Siddiqui. But that does not diminish one’s respect for Danish, the artist. Om Shanthi Siddiqui, killed covering the Afghanistan battle between the government and the Taliban. While this death was ‘accidental’ (in a war zone), many journalists are increasingly deliberately done to death (in non-war zones). The ones who are trying to make the world safer by digging information, are themselves not safe. In 2020 , sixty-six Journalists globally and eight in India have been killed.
Of Ethiopia and Ecolodemics
Ethiopia owes more than $12 Billion in loans to China. This is more than 10% of its GDP. Chinese work on the country’s infrastructure is increasing. A lot of Chinese goods have already flooded the markets. Ethiopia imports even items of traditional use like the jebena (for making coffee) from China. The fall out of the economic colonization of countries like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Ethiopia may be the big ecolodemic to have an undeniable Made In China tag. Ecolodemic is hereby loosely defined by the author as the fall-out of economic colonization of the minor economy by a major one, which ends up making the minor one (hitherto a sovereign state) obliged, even possibly enslaved to the major.
Tedros Treading On Delicate Ground – COVID – WHO Done It ?
Thus, one has been taking all of Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus’ statements thus far about China’s COVID complicity with a liberal sprinkling of salt. After all, he may be heading WHO now. But he needs to head back to his country one day. Citizens of countries like Ethiopia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and many others increasingly need to look at their Administration before committing or admitting anything. Their administration at the dragon’s apparition behind them. Even the shadow cast may breathe fire. Hence Ghebreyesus surely grabs eyeballs by openly conceding that China may not be absolved of the COVID pandemic. Tedros Adhanom agreed that much more needs to be known. The dragon has been dragging the WHO investigation down by permitting only limited access to WHO officials. That too, after much delay. Wonder which country Tedros will be settling in, post his tenure.
