“By June, Everyone Would Have Died”: Historicising Humour during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ghana

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Published: 2022-01-24
DOI: https://doi.org/10.26806/modafr.v9i2.387
Keywords:
Ghana, COVID-19 Pandemic, Nose Mask, humour, ‘By June’

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Charles Ofosu Marfo
Department of Language and Communication Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah UNiversity of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana
Samuel Adu-Gyamfi
Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology
Confidence Gbolo Sanka
Department of English, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana
Benjamin Dompreh Darkwa
Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta, Canada
Lucky Tomdi
Department of History, University of New Brunswick, Canada

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on human interactions deeply affected the sense of humour of individuals. Using a social media research approach, this article analyses social media data in order to understand how social media users related with COVID-19. We sought to address the various events that generated humour among Ghanaians during the pandemic. The study reveals that the various instances of humour revolved around nose and/or face masks, terminologies and various social media posts. People neutralised their tensions and raised their humour with posts that flooded social media. This stemmed from the idea that people were mainly surprised at what they saw, watched or heard as they sought to release stress. We conclude that, owing partially to the creation of humour, the fear and tension associated with COVID-19 decreased with time among Ghanaians.

Article Details

How to Cite
Marfo, C. O., Adu-Gyamfi, S., Sanka, C. G., Darkwa, B. D., & Tomdi, L. (2022). “By June, Everyone Would Have Died”: Historicising Humour during the Covid-19 Pandemic in Ghana. Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society, 9(2), 57–81. https://doi.org/10.26806/modafr.v9i2.387
Issue
Vol. 9 No. 2 (2021): Modern Africa: Politics, History and Society
Section
Articles
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Author Biographies

Charles Ofosu Marfo, Department of Language and Communication Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah UNiversity of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana

Associate Professor of Linguistics at the Department of Language and Communication Sciences, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. He is currently the Provost of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences (CoHSS), KNUST. He specialises in phonology and morphosyntax (of Akan and other African languages), but is also working in language related interdisciplinary studies, including Applied Linguistics and Communication Studies.

Samuel Adu-Gyamfi, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology

Senior Lecturer and Head of History and Political Studies of Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. His research focus is on Applied History including social studies of health and medicine in Africa. Through Applied History, he aims to illuminate current challenges and choices by analysing historical precedents and analogues. He begins with a current choice or predicament and provides a perspective from history.

Confidence Gbolo Sanka, Department of English, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi-Ghana

Senior Lecturer in the Department of English, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi-Ghana. He has ten years of teaching and research experience in Literature. His areas of research include oral literature, African literature, world literatures, literary theory and criticism, as well as literary stylistics.

Benjamin Dompreh Darkwa, Department of History and Classics, University of Alberta, Canada

MA History student at the University of Alberta, Edmonton-Canada. He primarily focuses his research on the History of Medicine, Environment and Culture. His research interests are linked to how the discourses of medicine, health and culture have been shaped throughout history.

Lucky Tomdi, Department of History, University of New Brunswick, Canada

MA History student at University of New Brunswick, Fredericton-Canada. His research interests include the History of Health and Medicine, History of Science and African Diaspora. He applies historical methodologies to analyse contemporary challenges in health system in order to understand their development across time and space. His current research focuses at the professionalisation of Ghanaian hospitals within the broader context of colonial and missionary healthcare.