We shouldn't succumb to fears over COVID-19 | 和丹：理性应对病毒，克服过度恐惧
We shouldn't succumb to fears over COVID-19
History has shown us, time and again, how existing prejudices about certain people and certain societies are often "medicalized", as historian Erika Lee puts it, in essence blaming certain people coming from certain races or regions for being the source of dangerous diseases due to either an imagined innate unhygienic nature or strange dietary choices.
Most of these anxieties sprout from a similar well－fear.
In the face of large-scale epidemics such as the one the world is facing today, fear is the one thing we should not succumb to. At a time when we should be joining forces to defeat this disease, we should not resort to racial scapegoating and allow fear to divide us.
Disease and calamity do not discriminate. Racist behavior cannot cure disease, nor can it minimize its effects in any way. On the contrary, it could exacerbate problems by isolating whole segments of society that may fear the stigma and racism so much that they might even fail to seek the medical help they need.
Xenophobia is spreading across the globe as fast as the pandemic of COVID-19 is spreading in communities worldwide, maybe even faster. If left unchecked, the repercussions could have lasting effects on generations to come.
Now is the time to address these issues and raise awareness among societies.
At the same time, we should recognize fear for what it is, and not allow it to control our lives.
In this age, where medical advancements have allowed people to live beyond the age of 100, where we use nanotechnology to deliver drugs and treatments within human bodies, and where we have knowledgeable and experienced medical practitioners in every corner of the world, we should not fear COVID-19.
We should rather take it seriously by enforcing all the precautionary practices recommended by experts worldwide. Wash hands regularly, avoid crowded spaces and enforce strict social distancing in case of any mild symptoms.
And stop being glued to the news 24/7. This is one of the biggest sources of panic and anxiety. News media are regaining viewership and rebuilding their status as the go-to media for reliable reporting, especially with the rise in fake news and unreliable reporting on the internet.
Steps must be taken by every part of our societies to stop the spread of fake news and curb its effects. Basic media literacy has become one of the most essential skills people need to learn.
If we want to truly defeat this pandemic, we need to remember the secondary pandemic that is spreading just as fast and could potentially be just as dangerous, if not more.
Xenophobia, and every negative behavior that comes from it, must be fought with the same voraciousness with which we are addressing the spread of the virus worldwide.
Scientists warn us that COVID-19 might just be one of many other pandemics that could derail our comfortable routines and reshape our lives.
If we do not devise effective ways to deal with the sociocultural repercussions that accompany pandemics of these scales, then we might be facing dangers that can threaten the fabric of our societies in ways that are much more severe than biological agents.
As British philosopher Bertrand Russell once said, "Man can be stimulated by hope or driven by fear, but the hope and the fear must be vivid and immediate if they are to be effective without producing weariness."
COVID-19 is not invincible. News coming from China is giving us genuine reasons for hope. The reports of new cases have almost completely diminished within China, and the largest majority of those infected have gone back to their lives with a clean bill of health.
Despite how much life looks as if a doomsday is looming today in some parts of the world, we have evidence that things will get better. So let us allow hope to take over and let go of the unnecessarily vicious fear.
抗疫专题
Can China-style quarantine against COVID-19 go global?|迈克尔称赞中国经验
China Leading the Fight of the COVID-19 | 我院留学生爱德表示中国战“疫”为世界提供典范
Increasing shining beacon of hope by statistics | 迈克儿为中国抗疫打CALL
Hodan: A call to humanize people's suffering | 和丹呼吁：全球应同舟共济克服疫情
中国为世界公共卫生安全作出了巨大贡献 | 我院非洲学者约罗参赞在境外力挺中国抗疫工作
非洲来信之二：我们一直牵挂着你们 | We are keeping you in our thoughts
非洲来信：“我与你们站在一起” | I Stand with You in This Critical Time
中国为世界公共卫生安全作出了巨大贡献 | 我院非洲学者约罗参赞在境外力挺中国抗疫工作
在齐心抗疫中构建更加紧密的中非命运共同体 | 浙师大非洲研究院王珩、于桂章在《光明日报》发文
我院尼日利亚学者迈克博士等全球汉学家祈福中国：我们的第二故乡，加油！｜“ 山川异域，风月同天”
Foued Larby ：The Patriotic Dragons ｜非洲研究院非洲留学生为中国抗疫点赞加油
发布 | 浙师大非洲研究院科研办
非洲情怀
中国特色
全球视野
长按关注关于我们
浙江师范大学非洲研究院（IASZNU）是在教育部、外交部支持下于2007年成立的中国高校首个综合性、实体性非洲研究院，经十余年发展已成为有广泛影响力的中国非洲研究机构与国家对非事务智库，成为国内首个拥有非洲研究“长江学者”特聘教授的学术机构，是教育部区域和国别研究基地、教育部浙江师范大学中国南非人文交流研究中心、外交部“中非联合研究交流计划指导委员会指导单位”和“中非智库10+10合作伙伴计划”中方智库、教育部“中非高校20+20合作计划”单位、浙江省2011协同创新中心、浙江省新型重点专业智库。
近年来，非洲研究院自2016年以来连续第四次入选《全球智库报告》“最佳区域研究中心”（大学附属），还先后入选中国社科院"中国智库综合评价核心智库榜单”、“南京大学中国智库索引（CTTI）”中国高校智库百强A+、《2018年中国智库报告》高校智库（特色）系统影响力排行榜第4、《中华智库影响力报告（2018）》高校智库影响力排行榜第9，等。
About us
Established in 2007, the Institute of African Studies at Zhejiang Normal University, is the first comprehensive and substantive African Research Institute based in China’s universities. In the decade since its founding, the Institute has remained focused on both producing influential academic output, as well as cultivating scholars in African Studies from both China and Africa, gaining reputation as a highly influential academic institution both at home and abroad. At the onset of its second decade, the Institute of African Studies intends to move towards a more regionalized, nationalized, distinctive and internationally oriented direction in its research. At the same time, the institute will continue to encourage young and upcoming scholars to conduct research, and provide them with the necessary support.
Qui sommes-nous
L’IASZNU a été fondée en Septembre 2007 sous les auspices du Ministère de l’Éducation (MOE) et le Ministère des Affaires Étrangères (MFA). Parmi les Universités chinoises, c’est le premier Institut complet créé spécialement pour les études africaines. Après plus de 10 années de développement, l’IASZNU est devenue un Institut d’études et un Think Tanks très influent sur les affaires africaines en Chine qui possède un « Savant du Chang Jiang » des études africaines. Il est le Think Tanks chinois sur le « Plan Think Tanks du Partenariat Chine-Afrique 10 + 10 » et un des établissements guides sur le « Plan de Recherche Conjointe et d’Echange Chine-Afrique » du Ministère des Affaires Étrangères. Il est sélectionné par le Ministère de l’Éducation pour « La Coopération Universitaire Chine-Afrique 20+20 », en tant que base principale pour des études du continent et des études spécifiques de pays. Il est également sélectionné par la Province du Zhejiang comme le Centre d’Innovation Collaborative 2011, la base de recherche de la Philosophie et des Sciences Sociales dans la province de Zhejiang. L’IASZNU a été classé parmi les meilleurs Think Tanks (affiliés à une Université) au monde pendant deux années consécutives, en 2016 et en 2017, par le Global Think Tanks Index publié annuellement par la Pennsylvanie Université. En 2018, l’Institut a été classé comme l’un des meilleurs Think Tanks affilié à une université en Chine avec le classement A + du système de classement chinois (CTTI).