A Special Collection: The Narratives and Nonfiction of Infectious Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa

A potential special collection would be on the topic of infectious disease outbreaks in Sub-Saharan Africa. This collection would be comprised of contemporary as well as historical primary scholarly articles, personal narratives, ethnographic works, and fiction about outbreaks in the region. The collection would focus on epidemics such as Lassa Fever, HIV/AIDS, and Ebola. Examples of primary texts would include articles from the African Journal of Infectious Diseases, the volume collection “Tropical infectious diseases: principles, pathogens, and practice,” (2019)  and the book “Disease and Mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa” (1991). Examples of ethnographic works to be included in this collection would be “The Invisible Cure” by Helen Epstein which discusses the fight against HIV/AIDS and “The Lassa Ward” by Ross Donaldson, which is a doctor’s account of treating individuals afflicted with Lassa Fever. An example of a fiction work to be included in the collection is “This Thing Called the Future” (2011) which is about a patient and her family grappling with choosing traditional versus western treatments for HIV/AIDS in post Aparteid South Africa. Another fiction book would be “Chanda’s Secret” (2004) about a girl dealing with the social stigma of having family members who are HIV positive. These materials would be collected together because the issue of infectious disease in sub-Saharan Africa is incredibly broad, and encompasses both a scientific and personal narrative realm. It is important that the collection displays both the technical realities of illness and epidemics, as well as the more personal accounts of what it is like to either experience a devastating illness or treat those who are sick. Especially with the relatively recent Ebola pandemic, it is imperative that individuals at the college are informed and have access to a resource that precisely explains infectious disease and its social consequences through multiple lenses. I predict that this collection would be mostly used by those studying human biology, sociology, or African civilizations and cultures. This collection is unique in that it encompasses multiple perspectives on outbreaks, and thus can be used as both an academic scientific resource and as a place for leisurely reading since it includes compelling fiction and nonfiction narratives alongside scholarly texts and research journal publications.