Abstract
In Africa, a cultural distinctive of what is generally conceptualised as religion is its embeddedness in the quest for wholeness and harmony. Under the conditions of the coronavirus (and COVID-19, the disease it causes) pandemic, this harmony and wholeness are the primary targets of the virus. The conditions of illness, disharmony, and unwholesomeness characterise every aspect of the COVID-19 human condition: community, society, religious gathering, social solidarity as well as economic well-being. The disruptiveness stabs at the very heart and logic of African Pentecostal claims to make believers healthy, wealthy and reborn with supernatural vigour and resilience. In effect, COVID-19 effectively—it seems—quarantines the power and resources of the Holy Spirit, the core energy of Pentecostalism and the presumptive worker of signs, miracles, and wonder. This chapter beams a critical searchlight on Pentecostal responses, explanations, and discourses of the COVID-19 pandemic and its lasting legacies in African societies. It examines what “doing church” at a distance and socially distancing the power of the Holy Spirit means to African Pentecostal Christians and organisations under the conditions of COVID-19 era.
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Notes
- 1.
Research for this chapter was partly supported by the National Research Foundation of South Africa (Reference number [uid] 85,397). The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the author; the NRF accepts no liability whatsoever in this regard. I am grateful to Banchiliyew Getahun Silewondim for assistance during the revision and editing of this chapter. The usual caveats hold.
- 2.
In a detailed 120-page WHO-China joint report, “WHO-Convened Study of Origins of SARS-CoV-2”, the World Health Organisation and association with Chinese scientists ranked four possible theories about the origins of virus from “very likely to extremely unlikely”, namely, i) an intermediate host, ii) direct zoonotic introduction, iii) introduction through cold/food chain and iv) introduction resulting from a laboratory incident. Yet, some claim it was an accident from some bioweapons’ experimentations which occurred elsewhere in Europe or the United States. The report concluded with a call “for a continued scientific and collaborative approach to be taken towards tracing the origins of COVID-19” (p. 120). (See: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/who-convened-global-study-of-origins-of-sars-cov-2-china-part).
- 3.
The global death toll from COVID-19 as at 28 October 2022 stands at 6,566,610; there has been a total of 626,337,158 reported and confirmed cases of COVID-19 infection. (see WHO Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard, https://covid19.who.int/).
- 4.
I characterise “public religions”, as active social movements intent on transforming members, renovating social structures and reconfiguring society according to the priorities and inspirations from metasocial considerations or other-worldly sources or text such as scriptures (see Marty 1998: 393–4; Casanova 1994; Ukah 2020c)
- 5.
Alex Eze, Michael Silverman, Saverio Stranges & Janica Adams, “The impact of COVID-19 has been lower in Africa. We explore the reasons”, Conversations, 17 August 2021, https://theconversation.com/the-impact-of-covid-19-has-been-lower-in-africawe-explore-the-reasons-164955.
- 6.
What may be apparent is that “revolution” and “revolutionary” are used relative to the influence or impact of African Pentecostalism and its leadership on the African landscape in a metaphorical rather than analytical sense. However, concepts such as revolution or decolonisation do not have synonyms and so need a great deal of care and analytical clarity in their application (see Tuck and Wayne Yang 2012).
- 7.
WHO’s Constitution, signed on 22 July 1946 by representatives of 22 states, is available at https://www.who.int/about/governance/constitution.
- 8.
Muhaimin Olowoporoku, “COVID-19: What God told me would happen in 2021, says TB Joshua”, 1 January 2021, https://pmnewsnigeria.com/2021/01/01/covid-19-what-god-told-me-would-happen-in-2021-says-tb-joshua/ (accessed 01.10.2021).
- 9.
Helen Ukpabio, “Corona Virus Plague Reveals God’s Anger”, https://www.facebook.com/ ladyapostlehelenukpabio/videos/533021300734044/ (the sermon was preached on Sunday, February 23, 2020).
- 10.
Acts of the Apostles 2: 1–3 (The New Jerusalem Bible, Standard version translation (London: Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd., 1985).
- 11.
United Nations, “Policy Brief: Impact of COVID-19 in Africa”, 20 May 2020, https://unsdg.un.org/resources/policy-brief-impact-covid-19-africa.
- 12.
Sotho Molosankwe, “Soweto Pastor and His congregations arrested after Worshippers Attack Cops, Damage Patrol Cars”, 1 May 2021, https://www.iol.co.za/news/soweto-pastor-and-his-congregants-arrested-after-worshippers-attack-cops-damage-patrol-cars-7d34a193-bd69-4e07-ad81-c465871e3dea; Dickens Olewe, “Coronavirus in Africa: Whipping, shooting and snooping”, https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-52214740.
- 13.
“Worshippers flee as police flog them out of Catholic Church”, https://naijabanging.com.ng/worshippers-flee-as-police-flog-them-out-of-catholic-church-photos/.
- 14.
Helen Ukpabio, personal communication, 11 September 2021.
- 15.
Xavier Moyet, “Appraisal of the discourses of two Nigerian Megachurch leaders about vaccination against Covid-19”, https://religiousmatters.nl/appraisal-of-the-discoursesof-two-nigerian-megachurch-leaders-about-vaccination-against-covid-19/.
- 16.
Aanu Adeoye, “Misinformation at the pulpit” (12 May 2020), https://restofworld.org/2020/nigeria-covid-5g-misinformation/.
- 17.
For disseminating “inaccurate and potentially harmful claims about coronavirus”, Oyakhilome’s LoveWorld television broadcasting station, the United Kingdom broadcast regulators, Office of Communications, fined the television station £125,000 in January 2021. See: “Christian Broadcaster Fined £125,000 for Covid-19 conspiracies”, (31 March 2021) https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/christian-tv-channel-ofcom-covid-conspiracy-b1825259.html, Jibril Ibrahim, “Covid-19 in Nigeria: Once Again, Religion Stands in the Way” (29.06.2020), https://www.fes.de/referat-afrika/neuigkeiten/covid-19-in-nigeria-once-again-religion-stands-in-the-way.
- 18.
Kayode Oyero, “I won’t take COVID-19 vaccine, I’m not a guinea pig –Oyedepo”, Punch (Lagos), 17 April 2021, https://punchng.com/i-wont-take-covid-19-vaccine-im-not-a-guinea-pig-oyedepo/.
- 19.
Sam Eyoboka, “Why I will Take the COVID Vaccine—Pastor Adeboye”, Vanguard (Lagos), 03 October 2021, https://www.vanguardngr.com/2021/10/why-i-will-take-covid-vaccine-pastor-adeboye/.
- 20.
(See Cartledge 2016 on how charismata in Pentecostal-Charismatic churches could be used for the benefit of the wider society).
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Ukah, A. (2023). Quarantining the Holy Spirit: Africa and the Pentecostal Economy of COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Egbokhare, F., Afolayan, A. (eds) Global Health, Humanity and the COVID-19 Pandemic. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-17429-2_12
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