‘It rained again today. It’s been raining heavily these past few days. If only you were here to see it.’
This is only one of the millions messages posted on the Weibo page, a Chinese social media platform, of the “whistleblower” of Covid-19 – Dr. Li Wenliang.
Dr. Li was an eye doctor at a hospital in Wuhan – the city where the novel coronavirus was first reported. He sent a private message to fellow medics warning them of a virus he was seeing in his hospital that looked like Sars, a highly contagious and potentially life-threatening coronavirus that ravaged China in 2003. The message was shared online, and shortly after he was investigated by police for “spreading rumours”. But as the coronavirus outbreak became uncontainable, Dr. Li was recognised as a hero – the man who attempted to warn others what was coming. He himself died of Covid-19, on 7th February 2020.
But his Weibo page lived on.
It started with rage, mourning and commemoration, to personal stories and experiences during Covid-19 outbreak, and then to wishes and everyday troubles people faced. People would visit his page to wish him good morning, give him updates on the weather, or to share their personal lives. Behind each of these comments, are the ordinary people’s stories – of their fear, anger, hope and love.
This is a feeling shared by many across the world. The Covid-19 global pandemic has caused the deaths of millions, while leaving behind many more mourning their loved ones. As Covid-19 continues to spread, we want to make sure that none of those who lost their lives are forgotten. Beyond the macroscopic narratives of nations, there are personal stories of “ordinary people”, who have struggled through, and fought against the fear and uncertainties of the time. We believe that the frank, intimate stories of these individuals are valuable, and each should be remembered.
We want to record these stories, these portraits of an era. And just as the Weibo page of Dr. Li, we want to create kind of a safe space, a journal for traumatised people and nations.
To commemorate lost lives, to capture the stories of ordinary people through voices of their loved ones, and to heal the mass trauma, we created an online platform – www.their-stories.com – as a public, global monument. These stories are collected and safeguarded, with and for those who are missing them. We dedicate this monument to the victims, their family, friends and loved ones.
*For more information on the project, please contact:
The writer of this article wishes to stay anonymous.