Zooming the World in the midst of the Pandemic
By Sharon Buwerimwe
The Zoom application is one of the prominent videoconferencing application that has allowed people to defy the limitations of distance and be able to convene from various places.
When the Coronavirus (COVID-19) struck, the lockdown restrictions brought life to a halt. We could not carry out our daily activities like traveling for various purposes like work and school anymore. I remember having a feeling that the world had come to an end. I felt caged in my room with no hope of meeting my friends and colleagues anymore.
However, it did not take me long to adapt to the Zoom application which before that time was not appealing for a young lady like me. I was used to Instagram, Snapchat and Facebook applications.
The day I received news about my grandfather’s passing on was a nightmare. First dealing with the loss was traumatic. Then we also had to think of how we were to conduct a befitting send off to our family’s venerated figure in the midst of COVID-19 and its restrictive measures was devastating.
Just like other relatives, I could not travel home to physically attend the funeral due to the lockdown restrictions. It is at that point that I was left with no choice but to utilize zoom and I managed to pay my last respects when I was a thousand miles away from home.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, social media and videoconferencing apps are the only ways people can connect and mourn.
When I reached out for my phone, family members had already sent me a group link on how to join the meeting.
My turn came to share a condolence message. I fumbled and pressed wrong buttons. This disrupted the funeral service. My family members almost chucked me out of the meeting as I was failing to operate the app. The moment was embarrassing for me.
At the end of the day I was grateful that technology had allowed me to say goodbye. But not in the way we should say goodbye in our own Ubuntu culture. I wanted to be there in person to comfort my family.
The Zoom application has played a major role amid this pandemic. The app has been useful for conducting live classes, for conducting live conferences and meetings for work, or for hosting events without gathering many people at one place. People across the world are using the app to meet one another in virtual mode, to conduct business and to conduct group activities.
The App has also been used to invite virtual guests for weddings, funerals or festivals. Through the app, people have been able to keep socialising without having to come in physical contact with anyone else.
CCCD strengthens women and girls’ capacity in the use of digital technologies so that they are able to produce and consume relevant information and knowledge, with the view of supporting their active participation in diverse social and policy processes, including decision-making on issues that affect their lives at different levels, particularly by amplifying their voices and providing platforms for collaborative content production and sharing.
