Wambui Wamunyu Annotations

How are people and organizations sharing information and knowledge about COVID-19? What boundaries (e.g. urban/rural; national; language) are being crossed or further fortified due to these information flows?

Thursday, August 13, 2020 - 11:00am

These posters were posted on the entry door of a Kenyan rural town butchery. The top sign refers to anyone with COVID-19 as a 'suspect' who is unwelcome in the butchery. The bottom sign provides directions in graphical form for how to wash one's hands, just above a container with fresh water. It is set outside for customers to wash their hands before they enter the butchery. The hostility and caution reflected in the two signs reflect the multiple, sometimes contrasting views held towards the Corona Virus pandemic. The signs indicate an acceptance and recognition of the pandemic's spread and reach, as well as a stigmatisation of those infected with the virus.

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How have different actors responded to COVID-19 and what kinds of counter responses have emerged to that?

Monday, August 10, 2020 - 12:48pm

Kenya's official response to Corona Virus has included the provision of prevention protocols (e.g. washing hands and wearing masks). The lower sign shows the acceptance of such messages in a rural context while the top sign shows a counter response to Corona Virus, namely the stigmatisation of those infected. There has been talk of how similar the reactions and responses to Corona Virus are to the emergence of HIV/AIDS in the late 1980s. Those with HiV/AIDS were often treated with suspicion or outright discrimination, including being denied service in areas such as restaurants, markets, etc. 

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