Recognising the need to adapt to this new operating environment, innovative activists are proactively working to rethink and reshape civic space for the “new normal” that will emerge from these turbulent times.
In the Philippines, President Rodrigo Duterte has militarised the pandemic response, attacked free speech and the independent media, and targeted government critics. In response, the artist-activist group Active Vista is preparing to launch a new program that takes bold steps to disrupt the populists’ violent and divisive narrative.
Active Vista’s initiative aims to articulate the abstract ideals of human rights work – democratic participation, the interdependency of community, and the possibility of progress benefitting all – as tangible solutions for the everyday economic, security, and health concerns of Filipinos navigating this crisis. In stark contrast to Duterte’s brutality and deprivation, the group’s vision centers kindness and humanity.
“When the pandemic is framed as a war, citizens are compelled to surrender their rights, freedoms, and dignity to survive,” says Active Vista Executive Director Leni Velasco-Bicol. “Social solidarity is the last line of defense. The crucial role of civil society is to nurture that solidarity, foster deepened connections, and cultivate transformative action.”
Working with new allies outside the traditional human rights space – including artists, scientists, public health officials, and a national youth movement – Active Vista hopes to rally popular support for a post-pandemic agenda that is underwritten by Filipino civic values. They are drawing on customs such as bayanihan: people working together out of generosity to achieve a common goal; and pakikipagkapwa: a shared sense of identity and treating others with respect and dignity as an equal.
“The pandemic should be an opportunity for civil society and movements to reframe the way we present human rights,” Active Vista writes in a description of their new initiative.
Populists and authoritarians have waged a long – and often successful – campaign to delegitimize human rights work. But against all odds, civil society is continuing to hold the line against government overreach and state-sanctioned violence.
The critical roles played by civil society in this pandemic is rallying popular support for civic participation and activism. Even traditionally hostile governments like India and China are relying more on collaboration with civil society to curb the spread of the virus and reach impacted people.
As this pandemic reveals the depths of inequality across the globe, civil society has a chance to reclaim public perception of its value and, by demonstrating what civil society can achieve, mobilise popular support for future endeavors. This work is vital to address those systemic injustices brought to the fore by COVID-19.
With a concerted effort to sustain this momentum – and flexible, long-term support from funders and the international community – embattled local activists and advocates, and community-rooted social movements could emerge from this pandemic stronger than ever.
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James Savage | Radio Free (2020-06-24T14:55:32+00:00) How civil society is fighting back against coronavirus crackdowns. Retrieved from https://www.radiofree.org/2020/06/24/how-civil-society-is-fighting-back-against-coronavirus-crackdowns/
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