The Representation of Dis-ease in Contemporary East African Poetry

Abstract

This study examines the concept of dis-ease and how it is represented in poetry after the emergence of COVID-19. It is based on how contemporary East African Poets use poetry as a medium to express the presence of disease and how the selected poets artistically convey its effect in society. This study focuses on three anthologies of poetry: Soaring above the Pandemic: Poetic Echoes from East Africa, Millennial Voices East African Poetry, and Musings during a time of Pandemic. The objectives of the study are: to investigate the concept of dis-ease in selected East African poems on COVID-19 and to interrogate language strategies that the poets use in the selected poems to represent dis-ease in Contemporary East African poems on Coronavirus. The study is guided by two theories which include: the theory of stylistics and sociological literary theory. The theory of stylistics pays close attention to both form and content of the poetry which is useful in the analysis of the selected poems, whilst sociological literary theory demonstrates how literature and society influence each other. The study is divided into four chapters: chapter one forms the background to the study, chapter two focuses on dis-ease in Soaring above the Pandemic: Echoes from East Africa. In chapter three, it examines the representation of Coronavirus in Millennial Voices East African Poetry and Musings during a time of Pandemic. The last chapter is dedicated to conclusion. In concluding this study, it is apparent that contemporary East African poems on COVID-19 represent dis-ease at a point of divergence and convergence in regards to the impact of Coronavirus to human beings and society. The interaction with the disease heightened mixed reactions: anxiety, fear and discomfort as well as hope in the midst of the pandemic.