THE REALITY OF PANDEMIC AS A TOOL OF SEPARATION: AN EXAMPLE OF A BEAUTIFUL THING TO BEHOLD BY UMAR TURAKI

Abstract

Pandemic is generally being accompanied with mass infection, of diseases, encompassing various aspects of mortality rates, disruptions of social conventions and having a profound impact on healthcare system, economic challenge mental health challenges and educational setback. Pandemics have had a significant impact on African societies, shaping narratives that reflect the realities of these experiences. The narrative reflects the challenges that delve into deeper social issues such as inequality, discrimination and the impact of colonization . The concept represents broader themes of division and separation within society. When individuals grapple with the resultant effects of pandemics, it showcases the underlying tensions, and complex nature of societal upheaval that exist in African communities. This paper provides an overview of the reality of outbreaks of infectious disease in Africa as a tool of separation in diverse ways of human existence. The focus is to espouse an African fiction by Umar Turaki Which deals with the plague or pandemic called ‘Grey’ and how it serves as an agent of isolation, alienation and loss as depicted in the novel.