Global

In this series of Global, we’re meeting “Democracy First Responders”: The politicians, activists, medical workers, journalists, tech pioneers, government officials, and everyday citizens like you and me who are working to respond to the COVID-19 crisis successfully and protect their country’s democratic institutions – or even build new ones. Dusan Saponja and Dušan Čavić are two activist videographers from Serbia who are members of the YouTube duo Marka Zvaka. Dusan and Dušan created two short videos early in the crisis, before it even hit Serbia. They interviewed Serbian doctors working in Italy and China, and these videos quickly went viral, helping Serbians understand the measures needed to prevent the spread of COVID-19. At the same time, Serbians saw their national government ousted, due in part to its response to the outbreak. We talked to Dusan and Dušan about their work to create awareness, and how coronavirus has affected both day-to-day life and politics in Serbia.