I salute you all

Amid the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) pandemic in the country, probably the hardest response has been ordering artists to stop public performances as a precautionary measure.

Imagine telling workers to stop the only thing that brings bread on their table without offering any worthwhile alternative for sustainable survival? That is as bad as killing. It is the worst that one can do to a fellow mortal.

But in the unfolding events, human being have failed to shield themselves, whether with the help of science. In the end, humanity has been overwhelmed by the threat and damage caused by this global pandemic.

In doing so, humanity has had to suspend the way we do some of our usual activities and  withdrawing from some of our normal routines. The things we love so much, some we never considered harmful in anyway, now pose a big danger to our lives.

In trying to stay on the safe lane with the prevailing winds, a lot has had to be sacrificed.

Here at home, undeniably, one of the sectors that have felt the full thrust of this pandemic is the creative sector.

Our lean economy hardly provides for one to make enough savings from the little that we earn. For most of us, the pattern is the same: hand to mouth. The moment your income source has been sealed; you slump back to zero.

This is the situation creative minds have found themselves in. Minus the little break in between of their Covid-19-enforced break, their recess would have been stretching a full five months by now.

That period is long enough to drive everyone who is not earning something nuts. It was understandable, therefore, that when politicians got busy with campaign rallies, artists decided to join the fray by resuming live performances.

It may be that they are not responsible enough or that they do not care about human life, but they too felt squeezed. The only option was therefore to breach the standing rules and return on stage. They can be pardoned.

There is no thing as sad and tough as facing your family in a situation where you can’t provide what they need at a particular time, including food. But, as the situation is, a day will come when one will run out of options and get home with nothing.

All this has been made worse by the pandemic. As the battle against the outbreak continues globally, there has been no clue in sighthow to beat the pandemic.

Back home, the situation has continued to get worse with cases surging every day.

It is in this vein that once again, the government rallied all, including artists, to be steadfast in observing restrictions imposed to stop further spread of the disease. The government has reiterated its ban on public performances of any sort.

Refreshingly, the recent call to the creative sector appears to have met a very positive response from the artists. They are apprehensive of the challenge before us and they seem ready to play their part to reduce the disaster as soon as possible.

A number of them, who had lined up live performances, have had to call them off. There can never be any act deserving honour and praise than that. They have forgone their own predicament to consider the threat on a large-scale. I salute them all!