...we may need to give our messages about Ebola with vibes of hope, that people are quarantined not because they are terminal cases, but because it increases their chances of survival; give hope, let survivors be primary communicators, identify masters of organic speech-acts within communities and get them unto the fight, let people who are like the bulk of the people be the ones to get to the bulk of the people. At the community level, limit the use of the visages and voices of CSOs, NGOs and other faces of otherness in communications about Ebola. Deploy peer-to-peer communication methodologies; get the peers to identify the salient points of denials, and develop the counter-arguments using the same rhetorical strategies that heighten plausibility amongst ordinary people. That is the crux of it: heightening plausibility of the information amongst the people; for the information is out there, that there is Ebola, but because so many do not believe in its veracity, they cannot take on the burden of behavioral change that a belief prescribes. The State of Emergency is a good step, it places much needed external constraints on behavior, but without those internal constraints imposed by belief in the scientific truths about Ebola, the fight will be much more tasking. The battle against Ebola is as much a battle of narratives as it is about statist controls and clinical techniques. via Mohamed Gibril Sesay ( A brilliant man I admire, respect, and love) #StopEbola14
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 12:11:07 +0000
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