Editorial statement re: “Duality”

Hello,

If you're reading this, you might be wondering why the UC Review, a literary magazine run for and by university students, might decide to publish a work of obvious political tone like Duality.

Although we operate as an independent publication, with no direct editorial oversight or explicit political bias, that does not prevent us from publishing works by artists and writers who wish to make their opinions known. It has always been the purview of art to criticize and critique the politics of the day. Historical examples abound: from George Orwell in the twentieth century to Ai Weiwei in the present day.

It is not overreaching or socially irresponsible to provide a platform for political art — indeed, quite the opposite. Duality depicts a human rights situation that we should all be more aware of, and human rights violations are never a partisan issue. They are a human issue.

Moreover, the showcasing of police brutality amidst the 2019 Hong Kong protests are hardly without factual basis: reliable news organisations around the world (including in Hong Kong itself) have documented in great detail how police ‘crowd-control’ measures have quickly expanded into violence. These same journalists have been the victim of assault by police: tear-gas, beatings, rubber bullets causing blindness. I have referenced some of these news reports below.

This is an issue that demands our attention — attention so often directed at our screens and social media feeds. I see no reason, then, not to publish this work on our digital platform. We are a student organisation; we share student voices, and that includes their politics. More than that, we try to advocate for art that shakes the scales from our eyes and motivates important, moral action.

Yours sincerely,

Tahmeed Shafiq

Editor-in-Chief, 2019–2020