Covid-19 in Africa: Social and Economic Ramifications

Abstract

This book is a collection of chapters detailing the social and economic ramifications of Covid-19 in Africa. Written amidst the Covid-19 pandemic, it offers insights on initial responses to this pandemic on the continent, including, among others containment measures, communicative practices, and many other experiences that have guided the (inter)actions of governments, societies, and citizens in this difficult moment. Covid-19 exposed governments’ disaster preparedness and attitudes towards the poor and vulnerable. Discourses and narratives of Covid-19 that appear in this volume demonstrates the relationship between growing vulnerability on the one hand and the ingenuity of agency on the other, and how both were embodied and articulated by the African poor, university students, religious entities, and the middle classes. This chapter provides a summary of the book and some short theoretical reflections that guides this collection.