Linguistic and Cultural Re-Orientation in the Face of Pandemics: Lessons from the COVID-19 Discourses among the Bukusu of Kenya

Abstract

The linguistic and cultural diversity in the seemingly  interconnected world underscores the contextualisation of  information for effective  communication. This paper  examines the host language and culture in the COVID-19  discourses on the one hand and, on the other,  their reorientation based on the Bukusu environment, with the hope  of drawing lessons from the findings for future better  handling  of pandemics. An exploratory survey design was  adopted, where primary data were collected using in-depth  face-to-face interviews with  12 participants, observation,  video recording and note-taking in a funeral, wedding and a  traditional brew drinking context in  Kanduyi and Webuye,  Bungoma County. Secondary data were drawn from  government documents, Community-based Organization  (CBO) champions’ documentation, and the Mulembe FM  Radio station. Analysis was based on two theories: the re-definition of  situations, which explains how values are  redefined about situations for adaptation to occur, and the  diffusion of innovations,  articulating how an idea spreads  through a population while disregarding compatibility with the local culture and language. Findings  show that linguistic  and cultural re-orientation could have triggered better  results in the fight against the pandemic. The study findings  are relevant to policy makers and implementers, specifically,  the Ministry of Health (MOH), Kenya, charged with  disseminating relevant  information concerning health  pandemics.