The ‘Covid-19 Timebomb’ – Dispelling the Single- Story Humanitarian Narrative for Africa

A 76-year-old man shows his vaccination card after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine in Kasoa, Ghana. Credit: UNICEF/Francis KokorokoBy Jeremy AlloucheBRIGHTON, UK, Aug 9 2021 (IPS) An article published in April 2020 by the World Economic Forum warning that Africa was facing a Covid-19 time bomb was widely shared among the humanitarian sector, with increasing alarm. Some anticipated a perfect storm in terms of violence against children while others talked about the potential for a hunger pandemic in the Sahel. But none of these catastrophic scenarios have been borne out in either the first or second waves of the pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. There are current concerns regarding an increase of third wave cases, but so far the continent has recorded a far lower fatality rate than Europe. Yet, despite the many innovations developed by Africans during the pandemic, there has been no acknowledgment that African agency played a part in keeping the numbers of dead and dying from Covid-19 in check. Instead, this lower fatality rate was attributed to fate, the natural setting or demographics. It is another example of the humanitarian sector acting as a willing accomplice to racial stereotyping. Instead of challenging an over simplified or “single story” narrative (to use Chimamanda Adichie’s words), it opted to share on a disempowering, attention grabbing headline to describe how Covid-19 had impacted Sub Saharan Africa. It points to the glaring gap in stories relating to Afr...
Source: IPS Inter Press Service - Health - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Tags: Africa COVID-19 Featured Gender Headlines Health Human Rights Humanitarian Emergencies Inequity TerraViva United Nations Women's Health Source Type: news