One Virus, Two Countries - Steven Friedman - Books - Wits University Press - 9781776147441 - November 1, 2021
In case cover and title do not match, the title is correct

One Virus, Two Countries

Steven Friedman

Price
€ 32.99

Ordered from remote warehouse

Expected delivery Dec 11 - 20
Christmas presents can be returned until 31 January
Add to your iMusic wish list

One Virus, Two Countries

An overview of South African politics and economic system, through the lens of the response to COVID-19

Has South Africa 'done well' at limiting illness and deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic? Academic and political commentator, Steven Friedman, thinks not. While the country's mainstream media believes it has, in his view the evidence tells another story. South Africa has experienced by far the most cases and deaths in Africa - at one point as many as the rest of the continent combined.

One Virus, Two Countries: What Covid-19 tells us about South Africa offers a searing analysis of government and expert scientists' responses to the pandemic. Friedman argues that South Africa is two societies in one - a 'First World' which resembles Western Europe and North America, and a 'Third World' which looks much like the rest of Africa or South Asia. The South African state, the media and the scientific community have largely tried to deal with the virus through a 'First World' lens in which much of the country was either invisible or a problem - not a partner. Friedman argues this approach prevented the country from responding in a way which would have protected most citizens. This is why case numbers and deaths are so high: South Africa has done worse than the rest of Africa not despite the fact that it has a 'more developed' health system, but because it does.

One Virus, Two Countries is a controversial book that will rouse much needed debate about South Africa's health and economic system in a context of serious inequality.

Media Books     Hardcover Book   (Book with hard spine and cover)
Released November 1, 2021
ISBN13 9781776147441
Publishers Wits University Press
Pages 168
Dimensions 152 × 229 × 16 mm   ·   435 g
Language English  

Show all

More by Steven Friedman

More from this series