African Celebrity Health Revelation
The pandemic was a period of multiple emotions for me but fundamentally a period of clarity. It was a period that allowed me to rethink, reflect, clarify, and re-strategize even as I think about the state of the world at the time. Specifically, I reaffirmed that whatever I do must be a "calling, "not just research. I know calling has assumed a religious connotation over the years. But in my understanding, calling means that I see my work as a person(so I approach it with curiosity and empathy) and theories as people's stories coded as assumptions, tenets, and propositions. Calling also suggests a devotion to affirming what has been done, filling up gaps, contributing, and extending the frontiers of knowledge.
Notably, during that same period, I started to reflect on what power, position, and privilege mean in galvanizing awareness and social change. Due to the social distancing public, I sent out a survey to find out how the involvement of celebrities in health communication during COVID-19 helped achieve public health and safety goals. Over 500 people responded to that survey, and I am still working on publishing my findings.
In a viral video yesterday, two icons in the Nigerian celebrity circle talked about health. Mercy Johnson talked about her health scare ( "cancer scare," she calls it) and being told she would be on medication for life. Mrs. Joke Silva talked about her role as a wife and caregiver to her husband. Over the years, several celebrities have come to speak about personal health crises, the most recent being Kemi Afolabi. There are numerous questions to ask about celebrities and health, but I will limit them to these two scenarios. How do we analyze the vulnerability of celebrity health revelation while mapping out ways to see how the audience/public responds to that health concern? For instance, does celebrity talking about their bout with depression reduce stigmatization around mental health? How does Mrs. Joke Sylvia talking about the veteran actor's dementia influence society's response to geriatric? Studies about celebrities' health revelation, health advocacy, and influence on public health are mixed in Europe and North America. For instance, a study showed that Angelina Jolie's announcement that she had undergone a preventive double mastectomy after testing positive for the BRCA1 gene mutation catalyzed a herd of women seeking the test in genetic testing. On the flip side, there are also pros.
As you know, talking about health in Nigeria is not easy. From quacks who would turn themselves into an expert on your health to religious leaders who would build their sermons around you as evidence of lack of faith and even greedy individuals and companies who use you to sell their products. Thank you, Mercy Johnson-Okojie and Mrs. Joke Silva, for your vulnerability and transparency.
Posted on Facebook on January 13, 2023.
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