Abstract:
The sudden arrival of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in South Africa
drastically changed the normal way of life in all sectors. It compelled everyone to look at
the meaning of life and death differently and more painfully than before. This article
investigates the cultural theories and religious narratives on the meaning of life and death,
associated with the pervasiveness of the COVID-19 pandemic. The coronavirus affected
individuals, families and communities, some directly or indirectly, no one is or was
immune to the virus. The article argues that due to COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns,
culture, religious practices and protocols have been upended. The COVID-19 pandemic
challenged inkcubeko nenkolo yabantu [culture, people’s religious belief systems and
practices]. This article consists of in-depth qualitative interviews with four religious
leaders from the Christian and Muslim faiths. Because of the interviews with persons, oral
historians conduct open-ended interviews, as a form of social inquiry. Oral history
narratives thus connect the individual and the social, drawing on cultural and religious
expressions to tell one’s story.
CONTRIBUTION: The scholarly contribution of this article adds value and significance to oral
history research, as a way of collecting and interpreting human memories and experiences on
the meaning of life and death during the COVID-19 crisis. It discusses the dreadfulness of the
COVID-19 scourge concerning religious and cultural effects, social sciences and people’s
narrative reflections.
