Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1371118
13 maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 12 MAY 2021 OPINION like Britain's Got Talent, for instance. Or the X-Fac- tor, where – in case you missed it – she simply blew all competition clean out of the water (without, it must be said, even trying that hard)? And what about her voice, for crying out loud? Does it not even occur to any of you, that what we're hearing from Destiny is something truly special… the sort of talent that crops up only once in a dozen generations, and that some of us out here – myself included, if you must know – would willingly amputate a limb, just to have even a fraction of it ourselves…? Has nobody got anything at all to say, about any of that? No, of course not. Instead, we all take turns to publicly humiliate her, on the grounds that she is (and I quote): 'Fat'. 'Ħoxna'. Imlaħħma'. 'Morbidly Obese'… Ooh, my keyboard came so close to destruction there… might have to invest in a spare, just in case… But the worst part of it all, is that… the effects are al- ready being felt. Already, there are indications that this remarkable talent – that, let's face it, we are so very lucky to even have here at all, all things considered – is being conditioned into precisely the same form of slow, cruel torture that has already snuffed out the lives of so many other artists in the past. Consider her reaction to all that criticism, for in- stance. "I feel confident in it, and that's what matters… I feel confident; I look beautiful! I'm very happy with my look; I chose it because I feel confident in it. I can move, I can shake and shimmy…" Damn, here comes that lump in my throat again. That's Destiny Chukunyere talking there. That's Des- tiny herself, telling us all that she's beautiful… like we needed to be goddamn told that. Like it isn't already bleedingly obvious, to anyone with eyes to see, and ears to hear… And yes; I am fully aware that she probably intended that remark only as an act of defiance; an embodiment of precisely the same 'female empowerment' motif that, after all, underpins her entire Eurovision act… But my ears are far more attuned to the nuances of words, than they are to music (that's what happens, when you write regular articles for 20 years). And what I hear, lurking deep beneath that superficial veneer of feistiness, is something else. Something quite different. What I hear, in those words, is Destiny 'pleading for acceptance'. Pleading to just be accepted for what she is; for what she wants to be; for what she feels comfort- able doing, and wearing… And acceptance by whom, exactly? By other artists? By other talents? By anyone even remotely qualified enough to actually judge her, on what matters most? My ass. She is pleading for acceptance by a troglodyte army of talentless, bigoted, sadistic and utterly uncul- tured ASSHOLES, who will never – not in a million years - amount to even so much as single pink frill on Destiny Chukunyere's dress… that's who. So yes, Destiny. Not that I need to confirm it, of course, but… yes, you are beautiful. And that's not an opinion of mine; it is a self-evident FACT. The rest of us out here, though? We're the ugly ones. And we just don't deserve you at all… IN what is believed to be the biggest protest in history, in late November 2020 farmers from across India drove 200,000 trolleys and tractors towards Delhi's borders in a mass protest against agricultural reforms. This was followed a few days later by a general strike involving 250 million people in both urban and rural areas of India as workers joined together to support the farmers. The strike continues, despite the global public health crisis, which is hitting India harder than any other country in the world. Fear of COV- ID-19 has not deterred farmers, who have emphatically stated that regard- less of whether they contract the virus, the "black laws" will kill them anyway. The movement first began in the state of Punjab in June 2020, as farm- ers blocked freight railway lines in protest against these "black laws", which increase corporate control over all aspects of the food chain from seed to sale. Farmers unions argue that the laws undermine state-controlled prices of key crops, by allowing sales outside of state mandis (markets). The laws also enable corporations to control what contract farmers grow and how, thus reducing the bar- gaining power of small farmers. Cor- porations will be allowed to stockpile key produce and hence speculate with food, which was previously il- legal. Finally, the laws provide legal immunity to corporations operating in "good faith", thereby voiding the ability of citizens to hold agribusiness to account. Braving tear gas and water cannons, thousands of farmers and their fam- ilies descended on Delhi and trans- formed its busy roads into bustling camp cities, with communal "lang- har" kitchens. Undeterred by police violence, farmers fed these aggressors who beat them by day with free food by night. This act of community service not only underscored the peaceful intentions of the protests but also en- capsulated one of the key ideas of the movement: "no farmers, no food". In the same spirit of solidarity, farm- ers at Delhi's borders are responding to the rapidly escalating spread of COVID-19 in the city. They are dis- tributing food packages and essential goods to hospitals, as well as in bus and railway stations for those leaving the capital. Farmers from numerous states, of all castes and religions, are coexist- ing and growing the protest move- ment from the soil upwards – liter- ally, turning trenches into vegetable gardens. Many farmers refer to this movement as "andolan" – a revo- lution – where alliances are being forged between landless farm labour- ers and smallholder farmers. In a country deeply divided by caste and – increasingly – religion, this coming together around land, soil and food has powerful potential. Women have also taken leading roles, as they push for recognition as farmers in their own right. They are exploring the intersections of caste oppression, gendered labour and sex- ual violence in person and in publica- tions such as Karti Dharti – a wom- en-led magazine sharing stories and voices from the movement. Violent response Despite the largely peaceful pro- tests, farmers have been met with state repression and violence. At var- ious points water supplies have been cut to the protest sites and internet services blocked. Undeterred, farm- ers have prepared the camp sites for the scorching summer heat that now envelops them. Amnesty international has called on the Indian government to "stop esca- lating crackdown on protesters, farm leaders and journalists". Eight media workers have been charged with se- dition, while 100 people protesters have disappeared. In response, parlia- ments around the world have issued statements and debates on the right to peaceful protest in India, as well as a free and open press. The heavy-handed government response and intransigence to the key demands of the movement adds grave doubt for farmers who are now being asked to disband protest sites in the interest of public health. It high- lights the hypocrisy of being told to go home, while the ruling BJP was holding mass rallies in West Bengal. The fear is that COVID-19 could derail the momentum of this move- ment, as with the protests around the Citizen Amendment Act, which were cleared in March 2020 due to en- forced lockdown to curb the spread of COVID-19. Farmers repeat that they will leave as soon as the govern- ment repeals the laws and protects the minimum support price of key crops. There has been a groundswell of support from around the globe, from peasant movements, the Indian dias- pora community and celebrities – in- cluding Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg. This movement is fighting for the principles of democ- racy on which the Indian state was founded and is part of a civil socie- ty movement filling in for the state, which has been found sorely wanting in its response to the calamitous con- sequences of COVID-19. The "black laws" are but the latest in a long history of struggle faced by In- dian farmers. India's sprawling fields have been sites of "green revolution" experimentation since the 1960s. This has worsened water scarcity, reduced crop genetic diversity, dam- aged biodiversity, eroded and deplet- ed soils, all of which has reduced soil fertility. The financial burden of costly in- puts and failing crops has fallen on farmers, leading to spiralling debts and farmer suicides. The impacts of climate change and ecologically de- structive farming are primary reasons for this financial duress. However, the movement has yet to deeply address the challenges of tran- sitioning towards socioeconomically just, climate-friendly agriculture. Peasant movements around the world highlight the importance of collective spaces and knowl- edge-sharing between small farmers. The campsites in Delhi provide a unique opportunity to link socioeco- nomic farming struggles to their deep ecological roots. These are indeed difficult discussions, but the kisaan (farmer) movement has provided spaces to challenge caste, religious and gender-based oppression. The movement's strength is its broad alliances and solidarity, but it remains unclear whether it will link palpable socioeconomic injustices to environmental injustices and rights. The ecological origins of COVID-19 make these connections ever more pressing the world over. Jaskiran Kaur Chohan Indian farmers' strike continues amid COVID-19 Jaskiran Kaur Chohan is a Post-Doctoral Research Associate in Human Geography, University of Bristol theconversation.com