Meaning of life and death during COVID-19 pandemic: A cultural and religious narratives

The sudden arrival of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in South Africa drastically changed the normal way of life in all sectors. It compelled everyone to look at the meaning of life and death differently and more painfully than before. This article investigates the cultural theories and religious narratives on the meaning of life and death, associated with the pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus affected individuals, families and communities, some directly or indirectly, no one is or was immune to the virus. The article argues that due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, culture, religious practices and protocols have been upended. The COVID-19 pandemic challenged inkcubeko nenkolo yabantu [culture, people’s religious belief systems and practices]. This article consists of in-depth qualitative interviews with four religious leaders from the Christian and Muslim faiths. Because of the interviews with persons, oral historians conduct open-ended interviews, as a form of social inquiry. Oral history narratives thus connect the individual and the social, drawing on cultural and religious expressions to tell one’s story. Contribution: The scholarly contribution of this article adds value and significance to oral history research, as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories and experiences on the meaning of life and death during the COVID-19 crisis. It discusses the dreadfulness of the COVID-19 scourge concerning religious and cultural effects, social sciences and people’s narrative reflections..

Medienart:

E-Artikel

Erscheinungsjahr:

2024

Erschienen:

2024

Enthalten in:

Zur Gesamtaufnahme - volume:80

Enthalten in:

HTS Teologiese Studies/Theological Studies - 80(2024), 1, Seite e1-e9

Sprache:

Afrikaans ; Englisch ; Niederländisch

Beteiligte Personen:

Wonke Buqa [VerfasserIn]

Links:

doi.org [kostenfrei]
doaj.org [kostenfrei]
hts.org.za [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]
Journal toc [kostenfrei]

Themen:

Covid-19 pandemic
Culture
Death
Narratives
Oral history.
Practical Theology
Qualitative interviews
Religion
The Bible
The meaning of life

doi:

10.4102/hts.v80i1.9258

funding:

Förderinstitution / Projekttitel:

PPN (Katalog-ID):

DOAJ098677586