THE SOCIO-RELIGIOUS DYNAMICS OF COVID-19 PANDEMIC IN AFRICA
Proceedings of the International Conference of the Association for the Promotion of African Studies on the Impact of Covid-19 on Africa and the Quest for Afrocentric Perspectives 17th September, 2020
EDITORS
Ikechukwu Anthony Kanu
Ejikemeuwa J. O. Ndubisi
Chiugo C. Kanu
First Published in 2021
A publication of The Association for the Promotion of African Studies
COPYRIGHT © 2021 by The Association for the Promotion of African Studies
ISBN: 978-978-988-730-9
INTRODUCTION
The fact that the human person is a social being is undeniable. This implies that the human person is a being that cannot but interact with others. It has been argued by some scholars that the African is characteristically a communal being. Communalism is said to be one of the African cultural values. Africans believe in working together as a community. This is premised on the philosophy of Igwebuike. On another note, it is said that the African is arguably a religious being. Religion is said to constitute the second nature of the African. Almost everything the African does is tinted by religious beliefs.
The advent of COVID-19 drastically disrupted the socio-religious order in the African world. Sequel to the deadly and fast-spreading nature of COVID-19, different measures were put in place by various governments and health agencies to curb the spread. Among the precautionary measures is: Social Distancing. Human beings were strongly advised to avoid each other, desist from any form of physical contact and also to stop or minimise social gatherings, namely, religious gathering, wedding, markets, burials/funerals/ etc. This new way of life was seen by some Africans as un-African and unnatural. In the midst of all these, we were faced with governments-imposed lockdown. To worsen the situation, movement was highly restricted.
It is against this backdrop that the Association for the Promotion of African Studies (APAS), in line with its mission and vision, and in collaboration with FEEDBACKHALL, gathered scholars to reflect on the socio-religious dynamics of COVID-19 in Africa. This book is one of the fruits of APAS conference on COVID- 19 titled: The Impact of COVID-19 on Africa: Opportunities, Challenges and Solutions held on 17th September, 2020. During the conference, African scholars were bothered with the questions relating to the new way of life that discourages physical contact and also forbids religious gatherings. Some pertinent questions actually perturbed the minds of APAS scholars: What is the African approach to the challenges of COVID-19 on African nations? What is the new perception of religion in a COVID-19 or post-COVID-19 Africa? What are the socio-religious issues emanating from the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa? These and the related questions constitute the thrust of this book: The Socio-religious Dynamics of COVID-19 Pandemic in Africa. It is strongly believed that the book in your hands will bring about a new consciousness of the socio-religious phenomena in a COVID-19 or post- COVID-19 Africa.
CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS
