Tryphine Clara Dzimbanete

India

A wake-up call

In the wake of the pandemic, the whole world sought each other out for comfort. For the first time, everyone was affected by one unselective menace. Suddenly the veil of gender and social stratification had fallen, and Covid-19 reminded us that we are not so different after all, that our social constructs did not make us as invincible as we thought it did.

It begs the question, do we need a pandemic before we treat each other with respect? As an African and a woman, the world has taken a break from shunning me because there is a pandemic to deal with. The same cooperation and zeal everyone has towards averting the spread of the virus should be invested towards being citizens of the world that fight for one cause. I believe our differences should only make us stronger, and not build gratuitous hatred; instead, let’s build communities, end world hunger, wars, empower both men and women as we strive towards a new world full of possibilities.