Posted Date: November 12, 2020

Episode Description: In this episode, LAC members Irenae Aigbedion and Tembi Charles speak with Dr. Sinfree Makoni (Penn State) and Dr. Bassey Antia (University of the Western Cape) on their current project, “Humor as a Semiotic Resource: Coping with COVID-19 Stress in Africa.” The conversation branches out from a close examination of their work to a reflection on the ways that humor can be a tool to “speak back” to power, to critique histories of colonialism, and to shape a new identity for Africa itself. Humor becomes a critical tool we all need to navigate the unique social pressures we are currently facing. (See below for the memes referenced in our discussion!)

Guest Biographies

Sinfree Makoni is an Associate Professor in African Studies and Applied Linguistics. His work has altered the long-established ontologies of language. It draws on integrationist approaches and decolonial contextualities, arguing that colonial imposition of language was incompatible with the cultures and communication practices of the peoples they dominated. He is a prolific scholar, having produced 13 books (single, co-authored, edited), 77 refereed journal articles, and 42 book chapters. Most recently, his contribution to this Integrationist and Decolonial school of thought has been honored with the publication of two volumes out of a four volume study dedicated to his work entitled, African Applied Linguistics and Language in Africa. He holds honorary and visiting professorships at the University of South Africa, the University of Northwest South Africa, and the University of Cape Town. He has been awarded the Carnegie African Diaspora Fellowship twice in annual cycles (2020, 2019). Prof. Makoni has been a member of the university Faculty Senate, where he served as vice-chair of the Senate Committee on Student Life and as member of the John White Graduate Fellowship Committee. He has served as a mentor and dissertation advisor to multiple students at Penn State and internationally. He has played an integral service role in both African Studies and Applied Linguistics.

Bassey Antia is Professor of Linguistics at the University of the Western Cape in South Africa. He holds a PhD in Applied Linguistics from the University of Bielefeld, Germany. He has previously taught or held visiting lecturing or research positions at universities in Maiduguri, Bielefeld, Montreal, Barcelona, Guildford, Shoshanguve, and Heidelberg. Language policy in higher education, language politics, language and health, multilingualism, and terminology are some areas of his research emphasis. In addition to journal articles and book chapters in these areas, he has authored, edited and coedited volumes published by John Benjamins (Amsterdam/Philadelphia).

Project Title: “Humor as a Semiotic Resource: Coping with COVID-19 Stress in Africa” 

Project Description: Among the many reasons Covid-19 continues to be experienced as a stressful event worldwide and especially in Africa are the number of deaths linked to the disease, the absence of a cure, the extended lockdown, the impact it is having on fragile national and household economies in Africa, the weak nature of African health and social systems, and the corruption attending, or exposed by, governance of the disease. Although evidence from history, counselling, and literature has demonstrated how individuals draw on humor as a resource for radical hope and develop a sense of coherence, little is currently known about what role humor is playing as individuals and communities in Africa in an attempt to make sense of, and cope with, Covid-19. Using a research database of WhatsApp messages shared by collaborators based in over ten countries of Africa, this research will among others seek to: (1) examine and interpret the evidence for Covid-19-related humor in Africa; (2) understand the creative processes through which clinical and social dimensions of the disease become the butt of humor; (3) analyze humor samples in the research database in order to classify them into documented styles, with the associated effects; and (4) infer the implications of the foregoing analyses for rethinking the advice on Covid-19 and/or for enhancing the uptake of current biomedical advice. Besides findings to be disseminated as academic literature, we  also intend to create a website of widely circulating and humorous WhatsApp memes and maintain a blog.

Memes Mentioned

Recommended Reading

• De Gruyter (2020). Perspectives on the pandemic. Thinking in a state of exception. A De Gruyter Humanities Pamphlet 13. Berlin: De Gruyter
• Foss, K.A. (2020). Constructing the Outbreak. Epidemics in Media and Collective Memory. University of Massachusetts Press
• UNESCO (2020). Socioeconomic and cultural impacts of Covid-19 on Africa: UNESCO Responses. Paris: UNESCO
• Cooper, C. (2008). Elucidating the bonds of workplace humor: A relational process model. Human Relations, 61(8), 1087–1115.