On developed country privilege, and the marginalisation of the global South in much of what passes as Covid public science: a view from the South. A thread. 1/20
I do not intend to engage on the topic of the disproportionate and hypocritical treatment meted out by countries of the North to Southern Africa and Southern Africans stemming from the identification of the omicron variant. 2/20
I, and many others far more erudite than I, have already expressed those views (see, for example @tuliodna @_HassanF; @gregggonsalves; @GYamey) 3/20
Rather, I use a recent thread from @DrEricDing, about omicron and South Africa, to raise how well-funded, high-profile scientists like Ding perpetuate systems of power, extraction, neocoloniaism, and marginalisation between the North and South.
https://twitter.com/DrEricDing/status/14650379547836211314/20
I have written about this in other contexts before; about how the intellectual community of the global South risks being left behind in the data revolution. (unsdsn.org/20ews/2017/09/…) The parallels are stark. 5/20
Ding offered a hot-take on the current South African situation, drawing on screen-grabs from pressers; and reports published by the @NICD_sa (our CDC). It is unclear whether he has ever actually visited South Africa, or any other African country. 6/20
He certainly does not seem to understand the extreme data problems we encounter here, even at the @nicd_sa, not least of which are poorly reported Covid deaths; an absence of real-time cause of death; …7/20
… or even our current inability to link our vaccine data system to either the testing or excess deaths systems, inter alia. 8/20
And despite those challenges, we are able to report weekly, in near-real time on new cases and excess deaths. I am involved in the analysis of data and the production of both reports. We have brilliant scientists capable of sequencing new variants…. 9/20
Together with world-leading doctors, epidemiologists and public health experts, such @lindagailbekker, Slim Abdool Karim, and Glenda Gray. We are this not least because we learned to stand on our own during the HIV/AIDS crisis. 10/20
Ding did not reach out to South African scientists in prepping his thread. Instead, he elected to systematically ignore the knowledge on the ground, arrogantly certain of his correctness and ability to comprehend the data. 11/20
Consequently, he misunderstands data from Gauteng, (a visit to the source would have served him well), and misrepresenting a single health district as being the entire province. His tone is alarmist, and wildly extrapolates and exaggerates the little we know 12/20
In doing so, he feeds panic, hysteria, his army of acolytes, and his own ego. In doing so he reveals his opinion on the scientists of the global South: they are not as illustrious or connected as he; so they can safely be ignored. 13/20
Did Ding seek to amplify the voices of scientists from the South, using his immense support base to increase the exposure of academics in far more intellectually, socially, politically, economically precarious environments than his? Not a damn. 14/20
In what way are his action different from the decried practice of parachute-research in developing countries, where the careers and reputations of scholars from the North are built off the backs of scholars and communities in the South? 15/20
Why should Ding think it appropriate to engage in this form of neo-colonial extraction? (In passing, I should note that the behaviour is not only the preserve of the political right. The political left is often as guilty). 16/20
By ignoring the many black South African scientists working on Covid in South Africa is he being racist? By ignoring the white South African scientists is he pandering to tired tropes from Spitting Image? What is his political game? 17/20
And the behaviour of his fans to him being challenged has been most revealing. More than one interlocutor has queried my right to disagree with and challenge Eric. Several have questioned my academic credentials. 18/20 
His acolytes will hear nothing wrong about him. By criticising him, I am told, I am arming the right. Truly he is heading up a cult. Does he call off his troll army? No. 19/20
Eric, you were wrong. You behaved as badly and unethically as all those you criticise. Your troll army is horrible. Be better. 20/20
Urgh sorry. Link broke: unsdsn.org/news/2017/09/0…
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