Rayuwa Da Korona: How two Local Radio Stations are Responding to COVID-19 in Kano State
On April 11, 2020, exactly one month after the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Kano State confirmed its first positive COVID-19 case. In the same month, the state witnessed what was described as “ mysterious ” deaths, claiming hundreds of lives including the Emir of Rano and seven professors from Bayero University Kano (BUK). Hajara Ibrahim alias Umma, 47, is a mourning mother of five who lost her husband amidst the mysterious deaths, in Hotoro, Nassarawa local government of Kano State. Initially, Umma didn’t believe that COVID-19 was real. “Haven’t you heard what the scholars said?” asked Umma, in a regretful tone, as she referred to a video she watched on her son Abdul’s smartphone. In the video, a bearded man was saying, “COVID-19 is a scam and a grand plot against Muslims”. Abdul said he got the video from a WhatsApp group to which he belonged. In a state like Kano, which was once the epicentre of the disease in North...