Why does the world need Africa CDC?
The narratives produced by international media outlets often perpetuate themes of codependency and incompetency of Africa as a continent. Not only are these harmful, inaccurate and decontextualized, but they reinforce the ‘white saviour’ narrative and do little to improve conditions within Africa.
For example, there is little discourse in international media on how African communities have come together to aid one another in the face of COVID-19. Stories ignored by the media include, to name but a few: people sewing face masks out of fabric scraps and handing them out for free to counteract price gouging, youth renting speakers and riding around their neighbourhood broadcasting information about the new disease and translators creating services to raise public awareness. The whole world needs Africa CDC as it legitimizes the experience of those in Africa and valorizes African perspectives, drawing on local expertise. Africa CDC prioritizes the needs of Africans using the knowledge of Africans. Rather than waiting for external parties to take action, Africa CDC has quickly mobilized task forces, secured equipment and materials, and developed policies to address COVID-19 and other disease outbreaks. In doing so, Africa CDC gives agency to African players and empowers them to revise and reject a partial account made by foreigners and ultimately to rewrite their own narratives. Remarkably, despite having existed for less than a decade, Africa CDC, as evidenced during the pandemic, has been able to produce solutions for Africans by Africans (Nyabola, 2020). |
Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, African Union Commission, Roosevelt Street (Old Airport Area), Addis Ababa Ethiopia
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References:
- Nyabola, Nanjala (2020) “Africa is Not Waiting to be Saved From the Coronavirus” The National https://www.thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-colonialism-africa/
Multilateralism in AfricaAfrica has pursued a multi-lateral approach to handle COVID-19 to minimize social and economic disruptions and enhance the public health response. Many collaborative efforts have been spearheaded by Africa CDC, focussing on establishing strong regional and national public health systems to respond to the pandemic and particular outbreaks in an effective manner. The Africa Task Force for Novel Coronavirus, launched in early February 2020, has supported a pan African approach in compiling, analyzing, and sharing information, and establishing a range of measures and policies to procure supplies, support disease detection, and advise on border controls. Many have considered increase multilateralism a reflection of the rise of political ownership and accountability. Such trust and accountability or evidenced both in the collective support for Africa CDC and its effectiveness in cooperatively addressing pandemic needs, and approach that has been directly lacking in Europe and the Americas. |
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References:
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2020/07/27/covid-19-is-accelerating-multilateralism-africa/
- image: A man wearing a face mask walks through Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi, Kenya. (Donwilson Odhiambo / SOPA Images via AP Images)
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A United AfricaDespite waves of increase in COVID-19 cases in the continent (albeit with far fewer COVID-19 deaths per capita than the global average), the rise of unity across Africa is praiseworthy. The question of whether Africa would be capable of fighting the disease is now beyond a question: scientific solidarity grounded and political unity strengthened the public health response. Examples of this scientific solidarity include:
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References:
- https://www.un.org/africarenewal/web-features/coronavirus/united-africa-against-pandemic
- image: https://explicitcognitions.files.wordpress.com/2012/03/tumblr_m13u2rz8an1qzajeso1_5001.jpg
- Nyabola, Nanjala (2020) “Africa is Not Waiting to be Saved From the Coronavirus” The National https://www.thenation.com/article/world/coronavirus-colonialism-africa/