Reflecting on the Covid-19 pandemic : awareness and survival through the arts

Abstract

The unprecedented pandemic, which swept across the world in 2020, came with an avalanche of public health confusion and complexities. Every sector had to restructure its operational strategies in response to the ‘new normal’. The creative sector also had its fair share of pandemic chaos. This paper argues that art was a major tool for combating mental, social, and financial difficulties during the pandemic. Adopting a qualitative approach to data gathering and interpretation, this paper purposively selects some groups and organisations within Nigeria that employed the creativity of the arts in combating the complexities of the pandemic. The paper highlights the strategies employed by these groups and organisations in achieving their specific aims during the initial spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The paper concludes that the arts should be recognised as a key contributor to the maintenance of social and psychological balance during the pandemic. As such, the arts should not be ignored as the world rebuilds.