BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

Resolves

Factual: Life Stories

People reflect on how they will do things differently after living with a deadly virus.

In a series of special programmes recorded as the world gradually ‘unlocks’ during the Covid 19 crisis, we hear from people of all kinds, experiencing life on different continents, in different countries, in rural and urban societies, reflect on aspects of their lives and determine ways in which they want to do something differently. They offer up small and large initiatives; acts that give expression and focus to the change they are undertaking. These echo the Resolves that each of us will also make in recognition of our own preoccupations given the charge of life and the proximity to death, seemingly closer, in the presence of the disease.

We hear Resolves that will bring about a greater awareness of the natural world or the decision to provide mobile healthcare to giving school pupils new educational structures. We also hear the frustration of young Zimbabwean Anele Matshiselaa  who sees the terrible deterioration of health and the natural environment but it has nothing to do with Covid 19 – this is the long term drought that has bought the country to its knees and is the cause of people crying that they would rather die of the virus rather than desperate days of contamination and dehydration without water. He determines an important change in his work in wildlife research and management.

Resolvers include Primatologist Frans de Waal (US), Olympic Gold Medallist Sally Gunnell in the UK, Head Teacher Caroline Hodges (UK), International curator Juliana Engberg (NZ) and Environmental Journalist Gayathri Vaidyanathan (India).

Resolves: Resolves: Professor Malik Peiris

Professor Malik Peiris

18/07/2020 GMT

BBC World Service - Resolves, Resolves, Professor Malik Peiris

A leading virologist resolves to learn the language of politics and economics

Professor Malik Peiris, a virologist best known for his work to identify the SARS virus in 2003, resolves to learn the language of politics and economics, as well as science.

Professor Malik Peiris, a clinical and public health virologist based at the School of Public Health at the University of Hong Kong, is best known for his work to identify the SARS virus in 2003. He resolves to learn the language of politics and economics, as well as science.
 
“I personally, in the small way that I can, have resolved to move beyond the laboratory, even beyond the health paradigm I’ve been in, and ask questions about the year-on-year economic growth that we have all taken for granted - in nature, nothing grows forever - and I’ve cut my working hours by fifty percent to study sustainable economics”.

Resolves: Resolves

BBC World Service

BBC World Service Australasia

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa Schedule

BBC World Service East and Southern Africa

BBC World Service Online

BBC World Service schedule for American satellite radio and the Caribbean

BBC World Service Americas and the Caribbean

BBC World Service South Asia

BBC World Service News Internet

BBC World Service West and Central Africa Schedule

Accessibility links

Programme Index

Resolves

Resolves

Professor Malik Peiris

Genres

Brand

Series

BBC World Service Europe and the Middle East

About BBC World Service