Writing in the time of COVID-19: The threads that bind and tear asunder

Abstract

Located against my positionality as a woman of colour from the global south, I deal with the micro and macro dynamics — particularly the intersections of these — of COVID-19. My grounded-ness on account of an invisible virus, spreading like wildfire within and across nation-states, wreaking havoc, destruction and death, is used to illuminate the ramifications of lockdowns and physical distancing. Governments are placed in invidious positions as they try to balance the scales between keeping the economy going, sustaining livelihoods and preserving life. While global and community solidarity are threads that bind in dealing with the extremely pernicious consequences of COVID-19, national self-sufficiencies, resources, capacities, and ethical leadership are essential in determining how countries handle and respond to the virus. Given its impact on all countries, some believed COVID-19 to be an equaliser. However, patterns that emerged reflect that COVID-19 has exacerbated inequalities based on social criteria like race, gender, class and nationality. COVID-19 might alter our futures in ways that are currently inconceivable, and it is invading the spaces within which people breathe, live, learn, love, marry, work, play, and die. But these personal spaces exist within the spaces of the infra-politics of power that I deal with in this article.