Laughing through the virus the Zimbabwean way: WhatsApp humor and the twenty-one-day COVID-19 lockdown
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Date
2022
Authors
Chibuwe, Albert
Munoriyarwa, Allen
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Abstract
In many African countries, jokes represent one of the many means used by citizens to cope with a crisis. Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa explore how Zimbabweans utilize WhatsApp jokes, which are anchored in the concept of the “everyday,” to cope with pandemic-induced lockdowns. COVID-19 jokes provide citizens momentary relief from fear and function as a defense mechanism against COVID-19 and its effects, enabling citizens to confront and rationalize fear, death, and suffering. Chibuwe and Munoriyarwa argue that jokes are also a means of speaking truth to power by disgruntled citizens attempting to cope with a health crisis, in a context characterized by corruption, state repression, and bad governance.
Description
Keywords
COVID-19, Zimbabwe, Humor, Satire, Social media, Health
Citation
Chibuwe, A., & Munoriyarwa, A. (2022). Laughing through the virus the Zimbabwean way: WhatsApp humor and the twenty-one-day COVID-19 lockdown. African Studies Review, 1-23. https://doi.org/10.1017/asr.2022.20