Covid-19 is a game changer

On Saturday July 18, 2020 Prime Minister Moeketsi Majoro addressed the nation on Covid-19. He took his time to explain how Covid-19 spreads and interpreted the current Covid-19 statistics. As I listened carefully to the prevention strategies he gave, and their implementation, I knew they would challenge our cultural, social and religious norms. I somehow sensed that some people were going to resist the changes. During this strange yet unique time in our country, as a result of Covid-19, we are faced with the challenge of adapting to a lifestyle focused on simplicity that is characterised by the minimization of in-person interaction. We are expected to sacrifice going to our favourite restaurants, and large gatherings such as religious and traditional ceremonies, concerts and sporting events. The decisions made that evening and those to be made by the government over the next few months will have significant long-term implications for our country and survival. I am certain the mind-set and priorities of Majoro’s administration will also differ, as we exit this crisis, from when we went in. On July 20, 2020, I listened to a phone-in programme on People’s Choice (PC) FM radio station in which Katleho Pefole unpacked Majoro’s Covid-19 national address. On this particular show the majority of people that called in seemed rather resistant to these changes. The callers complained about the reduction in the number of people expected to attend funerals, as the new changes dictate not more than 10 people are supposed to dig a grave. Other changes include an alcohol ban and a reduction of working hours. Basotho do not seem to understand that our normal way of doing things is never coming back. Covid-19 has ushered us into a new era, with new norms. Everything from the economy, to religion, social and cultural practices have been affected tremendously. I foresee a situation whereby people will be making efforts aimed at returning towards normalcy in the coming months. Let us admit life will never be the same again. Covid-19 has completely changed the game and its rules. We shall have to settle for a different set of rules and norms in the post-Covid-19 era. Mass social distancing is changing the way we live, work and also do public affairs: A prolonged period of changed working patterns and remote working for some people is going to provoke a rethink about the basis of our working cultures, about the way our cities and towns are designed, about the way public transport systems operate and about the necessity of high-quality digital infrastructure. It was obvious the callers’ on PC FM radio station were shocked by these new changes as they grappled with the guidelines put before them. This is not surprising as social distancing is foreign to Basotho culture. The prevention strategies are an alien concept in our culture, as Basotho thrive in communal settings, especially during ceremonies. Many communities are yet to overcome the cultural shock from the demands of maintaining personal distance, and limiting the number of participants in social events to the bare minimum. Our collective grieving processes and practices have also been fundamentally changed. Covid-19 has completely changed the way we grieve and honour our dead. Furthermore these new regulations have altered the funeral format, as funeral attendance is now limited only to the immediate family. This is a contrast to traditional funerals where we slaughter cows and prepare a feast. Of course, the emotional impact of altered funeral formats on the living will be horrendous as limiting attendance at funerals will upset relatives and friends who will be unable to bid a final farewell to a deceased. Basotho have to accept that a cow and a feast are no longer a necessity. An end of this old practice will in turn save money for a lot of families because there is no reason to slaughter a cow when a funeral can only be attended by the immediate family. I wonder if our ancestors will continue to complain about being cold! Another habit that ought to change at funerals is communal washing of hands in the same basin, as this is a vessel in which this virus might spread. Just like culture, religion is dynamic, allowing us to encounter and intermingle with another. Now, at this trying time of the Covid-19 pandemic, where physical distancing is prescribed, and customary public worship have been halted, the church is showing resilience and creative fidelity once more. My church Maseru United Church has been broadcasting the pastor’s sermons through social media platforms and livestreaming for the faithful to participate from their safe abodes. However, my friend and brother pastor Masiu has been complaining about the halting of churches. He believes in the age-old fellowship where saints come together to break bread. However, if the gospel is to continue being relevant, my friend pastor Masiu has to adapt and preach the gospel in and out of season. Weddings have been dramatically downsized with others being cancelled altogether. In our culture weddings, like funerals, are big events. They provide an opportunity to meet and have big feasts. But the new Covid-19 restrictions have changed our wedding ceremonies. Like funerals, weddings are now cheaper, with very few mouths to feed. I agree that it is too early to predict if these trends will change for good. Last Sunday a family friend Tanki Maphaong came to see me and we went to see his friend at the main bus station in Maseru. I was shocked when we passed one shebeen and I noticed three men sharing one bottle of maloti beer and cigarette. I requested my cousin to stop the car and asked, “Gentlemen are you not putting yourselves at risk by smoking one cigarette and drinking from one bottle?” They looked at me and dismissed me. “Sir you do not understand, cigarettes are hard to find, if we die it will be our time to” one responded as they laughed me off. This is one habit that also needs to change, with immediate effect. Covid-19 has forced a transition from office to home, thereby creating one of the biggest changes in work life. Basotho are now forced to have shorter meetings and work in shifts, while others work from home to minimize personal interaction. For the first time the government is thinking of having evening shifts. This means working long hours and having long meetings will no longer be used as a measuring stick of the production of excellent results. Covid-19 has forced us to rethink workplace productivity. This is will also necessitate the measurement of individual performance, in government. Lesotho after Covid-19 is bound to be different, economically, socially and culturally. A new way of viewing our development and governance will need to emerge from the aftermath of this crisis so as to provide the long-awaited response from the country itself. Like any other crisis, the one we are experiencing today far exceeds all that this country has experienced to date and demands an individual and collective awareness of what Lesotho’s common future will be. The post-pandemic economy and social order cannot be built on what we had before. It is a time for inspirational leadership, to sustain energy on the gains we have seen during the pandemic and to work on rethinking of the social and economic order for the future. Ramahooana matlosa