ZIMBABWE: On writing and loving, protest and crackdowns I S3 Ep32

Want to get a flavour of what Coexisting is all about?  This is it - a 2 minute race through the podcast A compilation episode I put together for a competition entry. 8 questions 8 voices - what does it mean to coexist with Coronavirus....?

Today we speak to speaker and life consultant Jose Carlos (JC) in his home office in Tijuana, Mexico. JC and I met through a podcast network and his enthusiasm for this project and his commitment to creating in a crisis really stood out for me. And as it is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities today, December 3, JC's episode was important to share as he highlights so eloquently the particular challenges Covid has brought to people who are living with a disability. * Every seventh person alive today – more than 1 billion people in total – lives with some form of disability. Despite this persons with disabilities are still overwhelmingly overlooked in times of emergency, such as the COVID-19 pandemic. What did this mean for JC personally? * When we spoke it was the height of lockdown in Mexico, and the challenges Mexico faced in particular due to late shut down, high numbers hospitalised and lack of resources; * the power of people, and what he is missing without this physical contact. * the power of awareness and how that has changed in a quieter, slower world. * What resilience means to JC and how gratitude is the cornerstone of his approach to life. This episode was recorded on June 17, 2020 ***** Guest Insights You can learn more about JC and his life coaching and speaking work here:  Website: http://youareintime.com/ English language and https://estasatiempo.xyz/ Espanol Twitter https://twitter.com/jctellaeche FB https://www.facebook.com/jctellaeche/ IG: https://www.instagram.com/jctellaeche/ Podcast Inside My Mind: https://open.spotify.com/show/41t5NXTZCYxJfaLc37sJL9 ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *follow Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Today we speak to Alia in an exhausted evening between her many media appearances, sitting between her bed and her desk in London on the edge of summer.  CW: limited mention in episode of suicide and domestic violence * how Alia went from psychotherapist to activist appearing on our screens almost daily, fighting for the survival of the NHS during Covid for the campaign 'Keep Our NHS Public' and creating the first 'People's Covid Enquiry' * what the NHS, the National Health Service is in the UK - why it is so unusual and why its existence is in danger. * how the Covid crisis has played out in the UK, lack of PPE, corruption in government procurement, unclear lockdown rules and the pressure that is falling on our healthworkers as a result. * how mental health services are seeing the results of Covid mismanagement firsthand.  * feeling hopeless about what you can do? Alia has ideas.  This episode was recorded on 4 March 2021. ***** Episode links: Alia our interviewee @QualiaInterAlia   NHS Staff Voices Twitter @NHSStaffVoices FB @nhsstaffvoices Or email them at NHSStaffVoices.KONP at gmail.com Website: https://keepournhspublic.com/local-groups/nhs-staff-voices/ Keep Our NHS Public website: keepournhspublic.com Twitter @keepnhspublic People's Covid Inquiry https://www.peoplescovidinquiry.com   **********   If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

It is a year from the date that the World Health Organisation declared Covid a global pandemic and exactly 365 days since today's guest, Mario, set foot on a plane - an anniversary of deep significance for this international aid worker, sitting in the corner of his home where he has carved out an office, overlooking a sea of skyscrapers in Dubai * Dubai, known internationally for its jaw dropping architecture and multicultural buzz, Mario paints a vivid picture about what happened in this city that never slept before this year.  * the challenges faced by international aid workers globally - during the expected and unexpected of the worst of the Covid pandemic. *What happens when our countries' leaders deny the crisis and a question we may ask - who will be held accountable? * what it meant to deliver aid to help people where they never thought it would be needed - in Italy and America and how we capture the stories, the voices of those that cannot speak for themselves * What it means to say "I am Pro Science" in 2021 and what we all need right now - the rallying cry to action within all our power. This episode was recorded on March 3 2021 ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Its World Environment Day and in honour of this we pop back to China in Month 5 to speak to Grant, global sustainability and environmental advisor - at his desk, between night and day, China and Holland - with a deep hold on the historical legacy of this year.  * the changes he has seen take place overnight in the sustainability world as a result of Covid and why this can't be wasted - its the test run the world needs.  * the deeply personal reflection on the loss of his father at this time. And what it really means to celebrate a life and empathy in the virtual space. * reflecting on what 'lockdown' and 'spike' meant in China, words its quite hard to fathom when you think of the size of cities involved * his genius and simple idea to deal with zoom/meeting burnout (seriously me right now) * and something we are all reflecting on now:-being on the right side of history This episode was recorded on July 16, 2020 ***** If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Day 134 and we speak to poet Togara Muzanenhamo at his writing desk in Harare, Zimbabwe. We spoke at an incredibly tense time in Zimbabwe and covered what was happening out on the street, but also how Togara was carving out space during the crisis to write. Including at the end of the episode a beautiful quiet and transporting reading of one of his works that he had written during lockdown - an extract from long form poem, Sundogs. * Zimbabwe's economy in collapse and the very real danger of a pandemic in this context, with healthcare workers striking to protest Government corruption * a new wave of protests were taking place as we spoke sparked by the arrest of a prominent journalist and activist and it was suspected that the Government was using Covid to implement a crackdown on protestors and to put a curfew in place * we speak about working within a crisis and how to create a refuge in writing when the world is going mad around you * the surprising new intimacy created during this time This episode was recorded on 10 August 2020 ***** Guest Insights Togara read from his poem, Sundogs, that he has been working on during lockdown. It details the 1910-12 Japanese Antarctic Expedition lead by Lieutenant Nobu Shirase. Sundogs will appear in Togara's  collection of poems ‘Virga’ published by Carcanet Press in August 2021. Virga retells stories of the twentieth century using the weather and the memory of the wind. Read more of Togara's work here:  https://www.poetryinternational.org/pi/poet/10960/en/tile And listen to Togara reading more of his work: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=taKJyLC67rc&ab_channel=poetryinternational ******* If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting

Its Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox! As a love letter to those that celebrate this beautiful holiday a re-release of our Vietnam episode to celebrate the lunar new year or Tết  - a shortened form of Tết Nguyên Đán meaning "Festival of the First Morning of the First Day" We spoke to Creighton at his desk in a dark noisy night in the capital Ho Chi Minh City. A fascinating episode from back in June 2020 where we discussed how despite proximity to China, Vietnam, a densely populated country of 97 million and a developing infrastructure has been a success story - with only 300 cases of Coronavirus and not a single death. Figures that to this day remain EXTREMELY low and could so easily have gone the other way. We talk about why and how Vietnam has handled things so well, what is different in the attitude in America We were just at the beginning of the year that was to be, but Creighton spoke movingly and with great thought about how to put self-care at the very centre to help you cope with the personal and professional upheaval so many are going through. If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold: * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting It all helps people to find us!   

Its Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox! As a love letter to those that celebrate this beautiful holiday a re-release of one of our very first episodes in China all about the unique Chinese New Year that was 2020. With wonderful journalist Bec, who reported through the very beginning of the Covid crisis. Insight from her travels near Wuhan back in Chinese New Year 2020. The unique challenges of working with kids at home, feelings working mums everywhere will recognise! The fascinating controls that were put in place in parts of China to control the spread of the virus and what happened when tables were turned and badly affected China became badly affected America. 🌏 LOCAL LINGO? 🌍  In this episode Bec talks about WeChat. What is WeChat?  WeChat is THE app in China, an equivalent in hybrid of Whatsapp, FB messenger and Instagram- its a VERY widely adopted app used for messaging, payments, sharing photos - you name it, its done by WeChat. Bec Kanthor is a radio and print journalist based in China for the last 17 years. She was CBS News Beijing asst. producer in the years leading up to the 2008 Olympics and her work has appeared on PRI's The World, Scientific American, CBC Radio, CNN, CBS, ABC News, BBC and ESPN. She also works with her husband, folk-rock musician Liu Jian producing China’s first international children’s music festival ‘Hand in Hand’ touring musicians through 20 cities across China www.handinhandchina.com You can find Bec here: Twitter: @rebeccakanthor linkedin: http://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccakanthor and listen to some of her recent work at: https://www.pri.org/programs/the-world If you have enjoyed this episode of Coexisting and would like to see the story unfold please: *subscribe to Coexisting at your preferred podcast host here: https://pod.link/1517874874 * share with a friend*leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts  *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/47604282 It all helps people to find us! 

Its Lunar New Year and the Year of the Ox! As a love letter to those that celebrate a re-release of one of our very first episodes set in Hong Kong. Very early in the world's Covid journey, but already almost three months into lockdown in parts of Asia where it began end January 2020. We talk about the stark differences between people's approach to Coronavirus in 'West' and 'East'. resilience among students graduating during Covid And the miles of untouched nature in Hong Kong, where 40% of its land mass is national parkland - just a step away from the seething metropolis of central Hong Kong. ********* Hong Kong is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, and has a population density of 17,311 people per sq.m/6,659 people per sq.km which makes it Coronavirus very low infection figures all the more incredible. Read more about the why here: https://www.vox.com/2020/5/18/21262273/coronavirus-hong-kong-masks-deaths-new-york This episode was recorded on 16 April 2020. If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *please share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen! *like our FB page at: https://www.fb.me/coexistingpodcast *connect on IG at @coexistingpodcast https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/ It all helps people to find us! 

Though unplanned it was exactly 9 months to the day that lockdown began in the UK that I spoke to Dr Michael Head, Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton at his home in Dorset on 16 December 2020. Expert in Global Health, frequent Media commentator on Covid-19 he was someone I had been tracking down for some time ever since I spotted him on Linkedin with his Covid microbe toy. We cover: * What it was like to watch the creep of Covid across the world for the academics. * What did the UK Govt response look like from a public health expert. *Pandemic planning and the ill-fated Cygnus experiment back in 2016. * Vaccines! The who, what, where, how, why. What are the candidates and what are their limitations? Incredibly informative and down to the week spot on on when the Oxford AstraZeneca vaccine would get approval.   * The damage done by anti vaxxers and what it means to be vaccine hesitant. * What his predictions are for 2021 and can we be optimistic? * what does this all mean for Christmas in the UK ...and how other countries have approached similar large scale celebrations (clue=fascinating and quite differently). ***** Speaker Bio Dr Michael Head is a Senior Research Fellow in Global Health at the University of Southampton. He previously spent 11 years at UCL in the Centre for Infectious Disease Epidemiology and the Farr Institute for Health Informatics. He has research interests in research investments analyses, global health, health systems and digital health, with a public health focus on neglected tropical diseases (including scabies and onchocerciasis) and pneumonia. He has communicated extensively with the UK and international media around the COVID-19 outbreak. Michael graduated from his PhD by published works (Amsterdam Institute in Global Health, University of Amsterdam) in May 2016, and he completed postgraduate study in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and an undergraduate degree in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Portsmouth. Michael has numerous interests across global health, and predominantly focusing on infectious diseases. He co-created and leads on the Research Investments in Global Health study (ResIn). This project systematically maps the global landscape of research funding, comparing levels of investment with burden of disease, and giving valuable insight to policymakers, funders and researchers on areas of research strength, knowledge gaps and future priorities. He has been invited to present findings at the World Health Organisation (Geneva), Wellcome Trust (London) and to the European Commission in Brussels. ResIn has received funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the Royal Society for Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, and has published numerous papers and reports, including across (for example) Lancet and BMJ journals. He is also leading on Neglected Tropical Disease research, covering scabies and onchocerciasis. Research links are predominantly in West Africa, particularly Ghana and emerging links with Togo, but also east Africa (Kenya and Ethiopia) and in South-East Asia (Papua New Guinea) and South America (Brazil). Michael also has research interests in pneumonia, is part of the 'Every Breath Counts' coalition and awarded the title of 'Pneumonia Fighter 2018' by global advocacy group Just Actions. Alongside his Covid-19 media work, Michael is exceptionally skilled in science communication has given many public talks on vaccination and anti-vaccination activists. ••••••••••••••••••••••••••• If you have enjoyed this episode and would like to see the story unfold *subscribe to Coexisting wherever you listen to your pods, so each new episode comes up automatically!  * share with a friend *leave a rating/review on Apple Podcasts https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/co-existing/id1517874874 *connect on: FACEBOOK https://www.facebook.com/coexistingpodcast INSTAGRAM https://www.instagram.com/coexistingpodcast/  LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/coexisting TWITTER: @coexistingpod It all helps people to find us! •••• SPONSOR LINKS: OTTER.AI SO useful for podcasters and for creatives alike who need a quick way to get thoughts down on paper if you would like to try out my awesome transcription tool, use this link to try out a month of PREMIUM features. https://otter.ai/referrals/SQ99ZMYK After the first month you can revert to basic (free) or premium which gives you 6000 minutes transcription time.  OPENRENT THE best way to rent your property out as a private landlord in the UK, an UBER easy to use site, they think of everything - and you save a packet in agent fees (I saved multiple hundreds v a high street firm) - use this sponsor link for a free trial! https://openrent.co.uk/invite/c/coexisting