Stories about Ideas from April, 2020
‘Language revolt': This activist tweets against erasure of first languages in South Africa
A language reclamation activist confronts linguistic imperialism and the dehumanisation of two South African first languages through digital inclusion advocacy.
Japanese superfood can't combat COVID-19, but may prolong your life
In mid-March, a consumer research company in Japan found that nearly 40 percent of Japanese people they surveyed incorporated special foods into their diet in order to "boost their immune systems."
Zanzibar relies on strong communities of care to confront COVID-19
Zanzibar thrives on unity. A wave of community-based health initiatives has ramped up their presence on the islands to raise awareness and educate islanders about the highly contagious coronavirus.
COVID-19 in the Middle East: Is this pandemic a health crisis or a war?
War-like rhetoric around COVID-19 has allowed governments in the Middle East and North Africa to execute emergency powers and impose draconian measures that would otherwise be unacceptable.
Liberia's President George Weah sings his fight against COVID-19
Despite a message and movement solidarity in the fight against COVID-19 in Liberia, President George Weah still faces critique over a tanking economy and restricted media.
How to protect Nigerians’ personal information while combating COVID-19
Combatting COVID-19 through all available legal means is urgent. However, such means need not be at the expense of protecting human rights — including the right to privacy.
Ghost cities in a COVID-19 world
Videos of empty cities from around the world curated by Global Voices' contributors.
COVID-19 revives grim history of medical experimentation in Africa
Africa 'is not a testing lab' for a COVID-19 vaccine. The debate over human testing in clinical trials speaks to a grim history of medical experimentation and exploitation in Africa.
Impact of COVID-19 containment measures on human rights and civil liberties in the Middle East
COVID-19 measures in the MENA region have especially targeted some of the most vulnerable groups such as detained human rights defenders, migrant workers and independent media.
Caribbean cooking in the time of COVID-19
"Make whatever your comfort food is and know that if we all sacrifice for a few weeks for the greater good, we will help stop the spread of this virus."
Nigeria’s elite ‘above the law’ as the poor struggle with COVID-19 measures
The majority of Nigeria's poor live by the day in overcrowded and squalid shanties, without running water and modern toilet facilities. They cannot and will not survive a lockdown.
April Fool’s Day, COVID-19 and Trinidad and Tobago’s ‘recalcitrant minority’
Who would ever have predicted that a speech made on April 1, 1958, would reverberate in April 1, 2020 through a speech made by another leader in the same political party?
A king’s belief in herbal remedies to cure COVID-19 butts up against science in Nigeria
This Nigerian king believes that natural herbs can cure COVID-19. But making unverified claims via Twitter to thousands of followers can be misleading — and dangerous — to the public.