Neil Singh’s powerful long read (Cholera and coronavirus: why we must not repeat the same mistakes, 1 May) tellingly compares the way in which the world is reacting to Covid-19 with how it has handled cholera, especially in developing countries. He states: “There is no biological or environmental reason why cholera can’t be eradicated … It is not the knowhow that is lacking, but rather the political will.”
Exactly the same conclusion can be reached in respect of the 5 million-plus children under five who are dying every year. According to the World Health Organization, many of these early child deaths are preventable or can be easily treated, but there is nothing remotely like the effort being put into this as in the response to Covid-19. Might the reason for that inaction be that more than 80% of these deaths involve children in central and south Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa?
Brian Waller
Otley, North Yorkshire
• What an excellent and timely long read. We’ve heard a lot about the current pandemic being unprecedented or unpredictable, but not a lot about prescience, which is perhaps more the realm of artists than politicians and scientists. About four years ago, I created a musical-theatre work in collaboration with epidemiologist Elizabeth Pisani, called Song of Contagion, which explored attitudes to disease globally. A morbid subject, but it moved audiences and was upbeat in tone.
The first episode dramatised cholera – chronicling its rise in east London (and subsequent remedy) in the 19th century, alongside its impact on Kolkata, in West Bengal, India. The narrative followed that of Neil Singh’s article, a battle against vested interests and the eventual building of London’s sewers. Interwoven with this was the story of West Bengal.
What made it powerful was its authenticity. It was performed in Wilton’s Music Hall in the heart of the East End, where the epidemic was particularly rampant and the Indian sections featured three of the company’s core Bengali artists.
This illustrates the part creative artists can play in the social and cultural reconstruction that will be needed in a post-coronavirus world. Imagination and experience are key, and it is encouraging that bodies like the Arts Council are responding so well. I and my fellow musicians and singers are grateful for the emergency funding we have received.
Tony Haynes
Composer/director, Grand Union Orchestra
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