WOMANHOOD AND PANDEMICS: THE AFRICAN CASE

Résumé

Pandemics refer to national or global prevalence of a condition, particularly, a pathological condition with significant societal disruption. Unlike endemic disease which is associated with a given locality or region, for instance malaria in Africa, pandemics are comparatively ephemeral but global in their spread. The condition of being a woman, as a singular way of being human, often determined by socio-cultural and religious considerations, calls for special reflection in an era of pandemics. Research have been carried out on vaccines against the disease, the number of cases, death and health related information such as symptoms, preventions and treatment, but it does not appear, given the available information, that there has been any reflection done on being woman and Pandemics. This chapter explores the nature and condition of womanhood and the existential challenges which are posed by pandemics in Africa. It adopts a phenomenological approach: it describes, analyses and interprets womanhood from the perspective of changing gender-relationship. It avers that investment in resilience and promoting sense of complementarity, much against the traditional gender relation of dependence, should guide policies and interventions for better health outcomes during and in post-pandemic times. The paper is significant for medical practitioners, psychologists and policy makers.