How Activists Stay Activated
Three rights workers on what keeps them motivated, well fed and sane in a chaotic era
Hey, bud.
Things aren’t looking so great out there, huh?
Do you feel like we’ve fallen into a pit of darkness and despair? Or that we’re getting sucked into a black hole because a combination of ego and stupidity became so dense it caused a tear in the space-time continuum…?
Ahhh, you pessimist! You’re probably right (almost certainly, in fact), but even in dark times there are ways to remind ourselves of the light. Just take it from the people who’ve been plugging away at human rights causes, often in situations of extreme stress, risk and danger such as state harassment, political imprisonment, and K-pop fandom.
So let’s lighten things up a bit. In this issue of Currents, three human rights defenders share what keeps them going — their go-to food, booze and music choices, and thoughts about what they might be doing in an alternative universe.
Cathy Alvarez, human rights lawyer (The Philippines)
What's one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
One thing people might be surprised to learn about me (although I announce it all the time) is that I am a loud and proud BTS ARMY. I found BTS in 2019 and their music and videos have given me so much comfort. When I've had a particularly stressful day, I would watch RUN BTS videos on YouTube and just laugh and laugh and I instantly feel better.
I also made some ARMY friends on Twitter who I ended up being friends with in real life. They're all younger than me and I learn so much from them about boundaries and self-care and not getting caught up in over-consuming, whether its BTS merch or media. They literally taught me how to slow down.
If you weren't a human rights lawyer, what would you be doing instead and why?
If I weren't a lawyer I would be a record store or bookstore owner or a barista. I actually tried making and selling my own cold brew coffee in a little stall outside my house, but things got hectic at work so I had to drop that particular ball.
Do you have any comfort foods that help you get through tough times?
My regular comfort food is a really good hamburger. I only like the basic beef patty, lettuce, tomato and maybe good cheese, but I don't like those overly fancy burgers where you can't enjoy the beef because there's just too much going on, and steak cut fries.
I'm also Spanish and I dream of someday eating my way around Spain, and another source of comfort is my family's very Filipino version of Fabada Asturiana, which is basically beans and chorizo. I did not learn to cook this until I was 25 because it was always tied to happy childhood memories and I didn't want to mess up, so now I look forward to visiting Asturias and having fabada in some neighbourhood bar and trying all of the stinky Asturian cheese.
Which track is your go-to motivational music choice?
It's so hard to choose one song, and this is not a BTS one, but I've been listening to Spacehog’s ‘In The Meantime’ since law school. It's my ‘time to take it to the mattresses’ song, lol. And Van Halen’s ‘Dreams’.
I couldn't choose a BTS track, that would be like picking a favourite child, hahahaha.
Ian Yee, journalist (Malaysia)
Any known or unknown aliases?
Nope, but I wish I had one! Like ‘Maverick’.
What's one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
Most people are surprised that I grew up in a new village called Jinjang. It became synonymous with Chinese gangsters in Malaysia, but it’s fairly gentrified these days. I suppose they’re really surprised that a geeky-looking guy like me made it out alive.
If you weren't a journalist, what would you be doing instead and why?
If I weren’t a journalist, I would probably have been a musician. That was actually the goal after high school, and I worked as a music instructor for a few months. My Jinjang parents obviously didn’t see it as a viable career given my limited talent (hindsight would prove them right), so I ended up in journalism. But if you asked me now what else I could see myself doing, it would probably be psychology. I think there’s a huge need for mental health support in investigative journalism.
Do you have any comfort foods that help you get through tough times?
Are tequila shots food? If not, then I’d say a good mamak session — with friends — usually does the trick.
Which track is your go-to motivational music choice?*
I don’t really have a hype song, but I do listen to a lot of “lagu galau” from Indonesia (which we Malaysians call lagu jiwang) when I need to calm myself before doing anything intense. There’s just something about emo ballads in Bahasa Indonesia that just hits different.
Jolovan Wham, social worker (Singapore)
Any known or unknown aliases?
‘Changi prison enthusiast’.
What's one thing people might be surprised to learn about you?
If a PAP politician was handsome enough, I would vote for him.
If you weren't a social worker, what would you be doing instead and why?
A fortune teller. So I’ll know when Shanmugam [Singapore’s home affairs and law minister] will issue the next POFMA order.
Do you have any comfort foods that help you get through tough times?
Anything that comes with a side of defiance and disobedience.
Which track is your go-to motivational music choice?
Enya is my guilty pleasure. [When pressed, Jolovan chose Enya’s Orinoco Flow.]
*Updated from the original to include Ian’s comments on Indo jams