Negotiating Intersecting Precarities: COVID-19, Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa

Hayley Macgregor (1) , Melissa Leach (1) , Grace Akello (2) , Lawrence Sao Babawo (3) , Moses Baluku (2) , Alice Desclaux (4) , Catherine Grant (1) , Foday Kamara (3) , Fred Martineau (5) , Esther Yei Mokuwa (1) , Melissa Parker (5) , Paul Richards (3) , Kelley Sams (6, 7, 8, 9) , Khoudia Sow (10) , Annie Wilkinson (1)

1 University of Sussex
2 Gulu University
3 Njala University
4 TransVIHMI - Recherches Translationnelles sur le VIH et les maladies infectieuses endémiques et émergentes
5 LSHTM - London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
6 UF - University of Florida [Gainesville]
7 LPED - Laboratoire Population-Environnement-Développement
8 IRD - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement
9 CNELIAS - Centre Norbert Elias
10 CRCF - Centre Régional de recherche et de Formation à la prise en charge Clinique de Fann

This article shares findings on COVID-19 in Africa across 2020 to examine concepts and practices of epidemic preparedness and response. Amidst uncertainties about the trajectory of COVID-19, the stages of emergency response emerge in practice as interconnected. We illustrate how complex dynamics manifest as diverse actors interpret and modify approaches according to contexts and experiences. We suggest that the concept of "intersecting precarities" best captures the temporalities at stake; that these precarities include the effects of epidemic control measures; and that people do not just accept but actively negotiate these intersections as they seek to sustain their lives and livelihoods.

Mots clés: Preparedness; COVID-19; Africa; epidemic; precarity; response

Domaines: Anthropologie sociale et ethnologie

Hayley Macgregor, Melissa Leach, Grace Akello, Lawrence Sao Babawo, Moses Baluku, et al.. Negotiating Intersecting Precarities: COVID-19, Pandemic Preparedness and Response in Africa. Medical Anthropology, 2022, pp.1-15. ⟨10.1080/01459740.2021.2015591⟩. ⟨hal-03517488⟩