SOCIO-RELIGIOUS ISSUES IN THE AFRICAN RESPONSE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC: THE OGBA AND ENGENNI PERSPECTIVES

Abstract

This paper on the socio- religious issues on the African response to the coronavirus pandemic, focuses on the Ogba and Engenni perspectives. The research identifies the pandemic as one that shook the world to its foundation. It explores the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) definition of Pandemic and its attitude to the outbreak of the coronavirus disease in November, 2019. The paper traces the origin of the virus to the Chinese city of Wuhan from where it spread to other parts of the world. The response from different countries to the challenge was critically x-rayed. It notes that Ogba and Engenni in general have their ways of treating infectious and contagious ailments through quarantine, isolation and physical distancing as applied to sufferers of tuberculosis, leprosy, measle, chicken and small pox. The purpose of this research is to identify and explain how Ogba and Engenni people approach issues of pandemic in the traditional setting. The work adopts the phenomenological method in the discussion. It observes that Africans use roots and herbs to attend to issues of health care. It concludes that the flora and fauna in Africa is rich enough to be explored to curb the spread of the disease.