The why of humour during a crisis: An exploration of COVID-19 memes in South Africa and Zimbabwe
| dc.contributor.author | Msimanga, M.J. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Tshuma, L.A. | |
| dc.contributor.author | Matsilele, T. | |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2025-09-10T07:58:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2025-09-10T07:58:47Z | |
| dc.date.issued | 2021-02-26 | |
| dc.description.abstract | This article inquires why humour flourishes in face of tragedy. Memes, as we argue, give people a sense of power as they offer commentary that critiques and mocks the government policies and ineptness, simultaneously offering a sense of hope and relief in face of the pandemic. With a focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, this study probed the nature, character and the why of humour in two southern African countries: South Africa and Zimbabwe. Findings show that memes were used to comment on lockdown regulations and speak against public authorities, to raise awareness of COVID-19 and expose poor health delivery systems. Our findings show that memes in South and Zimbabwe were used to bring dialogue about the COVID-19 pandemic and communicate health-related issues. | |
| dc.identifier.citation | Msimanga, M.J., Tshuma, L.A. and Matsilele, T., 2022. The why of humour during a crisis: An exploration of COVID-19 memes in South Africa and Zimbabwe. Journal of African Media Studies, 14(2), pp.189-207. | |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://196.220.97.103:4000/handle/123456789/1038 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | |
| dc.publisher | Journal of African Media Studies | |
| dc.title | The why of humour during a crisis: An exploration of COVID-19 memes in South Africa and Zimbabwe | |
| dc.type | Article |