Too good to be true

So far COVID19 hasn’t ravaged the so-called Global South as it’s happening in the Global North. Which is very interesting and, wonder how the scientists are analysing this. Is it simply because it's working its way from North to South? Or, is the heat of the Global South deadly to the virus? 

In terms of a political comment, I think it’s ironic because crises in Africa or Asia are so very invisible. And, even now, I do not really see any interesting analysis or conclusion of why Corona hasn't wreaked the damage at the same scale  yet in our countries. All we see are headlines like Bill Gates Warns Corona Will Devastate Africa. Or, Imran Khan calling for cancellation of Third World debt because poor countries don't have resources to handle Corona. 

We know that Italy's people are dying like flies and, they are running out of coffins and, that they have an elderly population. I've read quite a few articles about this. But why don’t we have the same low - intensity civil war death count numbers in Pakistan or India or Liberia yet? Europe and US have death rates literally similar to the kind of civil wars (armed by Western arms) and violent conflict you hear of in stereotyped Africa or Asia or Latin America.

Furthermore, the only reason we are in a global lockdown is, dare I say,  because the Americans and Europeans are suffering. Otherwise it would be business as usual. White people suffering? This is unthinkable. This is the suffering which we cannot have. This is the suffering which defines literature, great movies, our consciousness, our sense of history. White Man Suffer, History Created. White Man Suffering, Center of Reference. And, white people are suffering, then, we will centre it and , we will follow it. 

The same protocols to protect ourselves without demonising Africans should have been set up when ebola hit Africa. Instead of helping West Africa to deal with it , the whole of Africa was shut off. Instead of helping to improve West Africa's healthcare systems and, putting in place permanent measures, the world largely remained ignorant of the battle West Africans fought. The American CDC took a leadership role but after the fact, what do we have left to show for putting in permanent measures/protocols/systems to combat future epidemics/pandemics? 

The world is battling Corona 'statewise', not 'worldwise', if that makes any sense. 

For Liberia, I can say they took the right measure by announcing a lock down, a very strict one at that, for 3 weeks and, hopefully, this will limit transmissions and help a very poor government (still without decent, well equipped hospitals and staff, yes, what have the UN and NGOs done in the past 15 years, in collusion with corrupt regimes, half propped by them, following these hollow Governance frameworks without touching the violence and devastation of an extraction industry which has laid the wreckage of poor , hollow policies which did nothing to help build up the lives of the average Liberian). Having fought ebola, I believe Liberia will tackle properly and, we’ll see as little suffering as possible. That's why I am hoping for deep down. That somehow, Liberia will be spared because they have lived through ebola. 

Which leaves us with Pakistan. Yes, the leadership was inept, incompetent, clue less and infuriating when COVID 19 hit us through the Iran border. They set up a quarantine facility , something reminiscent of a hell hole as described in Muhammad Hanif’s Red Birds. Which idiots thought that was sufficient as the rich ass Europeans and Americans were falling like dominoes , even with their most advanced health care systems and hi-fi, droned and CCTV - ed human-right-concerned governments should get a Nobel Prize. Anyway, thankfully - thanks to linearity - we could get our act together and, prep up a healthcare and social system - never having funded to begin with because wars and the Army should get the best piece of the piece first - to fight of COVID19. So, kicking and screaming, Imran Khan was dragged to the altar, forced to marry Reason and Advanced Measures. Until the last minute, the man was debating the technicalities of lockdown versus total curfew. While crying for concern for the poor and delivering religious sermons, somehow Pakistan instituted a lockdown and, has even started doling out money and rations to the poor, to the majority of Pakistanis who survive on daily wages and, hand to mouth living. Sure, the faithful still fought tooth and nail to get inside mosques to pray but were beaten back. The clergy too was dragged with their long beards and all to condone the lockdown and that prayer can be offered at home. That you can bend and kneel and prostrate at home, amongst your women, and not with your bros in your local mosque. 

We were talking about the death count is so low here and whether the government may be hiding the numbers. My cousin said the numbers of those tested of course is not accurate. We don’t have enough testing kits nor the system to support it. But in this day and age, you can’t hide deaths. 

So, could it be that the virus really can’t wreak the devastation out here? For once, are the miserable and wretched going to be spared? Could it be that Muslims really are protected by the great Almighty? Could it be that the gods overseeing Africa too have decided to be merciful for once? “Africa shall be skipped over in this one.” 

Who knows?