“Lockdown Diary 2.0”: How We Keep Shining through the Pandemic
Marina Rai fits many labels: full-time employee, postgraduate student, media person, ethnic minority, parent – But first and foremost, Marina says, she identifies as human. This illustrates her approach to ‘Lockdown Diary 2.0’, a continuation of the CIBS radio programme she started in 2021 which looks at how people in Hong Kong are coping with the Covid-19 pandemic.
Bridging the Information Gap
Marina Rai (right) speaking with Rita Gurung during an episode of Lockdown Diary
“I think a lack of information has resulted in a lack of awareness,” Marina said, when asked about the biggest problems faced by ethnic minority groups during the pandemic. “If we don’t have access to information, we fall into a trap of rumours, fake news, or just listening to friends and relatives, and assuming what they say to be the truth.”
In Hong Kong, health information from the government tends to be delivered through the Chinese media first, before an English version reaches the non-Chinese-speaking communities. Marina identified this as a problem. She responded in the first run of ‘Lockdown Diary’ by adding a special segment that delivered information from the Centre for Health Protection in Nepali. She even invited community leaders like Rita Gurung, a spokesperson for the CHP, to speak on the programme and address the concerns of the community in a language they understand.
That’s why it was so frustrating for Marina to see the discrimination in certain news coverage that went as far as to suggest ethnic minority groups were causing the spread of Covid-19 by having their meals together in cramped spaces. “This divided even our own community. We became scared too,” Marina admitted. “But the stereotypes of minorities and the segregation show that the challenges are embedded in the environment in which we live.”
Living in the ‘New Normal’
If the 2021 edition of Lockdown Diary was about raising awareness and overcoming fear, version 2.0 is more about showing how people are living in the ‘new normal’ and how the pandemic can be managed and overcome.
Lockdown Diary 2.0 will include ‘survivor’ stories about how people who tested positive for Covid went on to recover and resume regular activities with new vigour and insights. Experts and PhD scholars will discuss infection control based on facts and science.
Human interest stories are also included. During the pandemic, a group of women started their own online business of delivering Nepali dishes straight from their homes. Another incredible story tells of youngsters who initiated a crowdfunding campaign to deliver ventilators to Nepal where a lot of people were dying from Covid during the height of the pandemic. These stories all tell about the strength of the human spirit. Marina also cares about what happens in the home and how the pandemic has affected individual households with regards to relationships and mental health.
“I will applaud them and advocate for them,” Marina said of all the people she’s come across while hosting and producing the programme. “Sure, a lot of us work as cleaners and security guards. We lack a lot of things, but we’re also citizens trying to make a difference. Why not give us a voice? Why not amplify the voice?”
Mutual Empowerment through Radio Broadcasting
Five-year-old Baezall making his voice heard on ‘Lockdown Diary’
The empowerment works both ways. Marina is providing for the community, and the feedback she’s been receiving from the listeners motivates her to keep up this project.
The involvement extended to her family when she asked her five-year-old son to do a voice-over for the show. The child’s voice went on to feature regularly in the segment, ‘Thought for the Week’. In the days that followed, Marina would have to deal with her son constantly asking her, “Can I listen to my voice?”
Marina credits CIBS for providing her a platform to deliver her promise and commitment to ethnic minority groups and the Nepali community. Tireless dedication to radio broadcasting has also transformed her professional portfolio. She’s now looking forward to finishing her Master of Social Work degree at the University of Hong Kong in April.
