Rev Dr Djiniyini Gondarra and Richard Trudgen talk about the meaning of the words Coronavirus and COVID-19.
Many Yolŋu are confused because two names are being used in the media; Coronavirus and COVID-19. The question is being asked, “Are there two diseases?”
This program looks at the meaning of coronavirus by working through the history of the word corona. Djiniyini and Richard explore the Latin and Greek roots of the word.
This is very important for the Yolŋu population because they don’t have any connections to the Latin or Greek roots in their language, so it is impossible for them to decipher. This leads to suspicion amongst Yolŋu that the whole COVID-19 discussion is something that’s been manufactured by somebody as a joke.
The traditional worldview of Yolŋu means they want in-depth, science-based information in order to understand any new topic. This is what Yolŋu call the “dhuḏi-dhäwu” – the deep true story. This full series of videos attempts to answer some of their questions from a Yolŋu worldview, using their linguistic construction of knowledge.
Watch the full series by clicking the links below:
Please note: Videos 1–7 are currently not available due to the unfortunate passing of one of the presenters. These videos will come back online again once permission is given from the family. Thank you for your understanding.
- Video #1 COVID-19: Introduction to Coronavirus
- Video #2 COVID-19: Stopping the spread through self-isolation
- Video #3 COVID-19: What happens after 2 weeks?
- Video #4 COVID-19: No immunisation for Coronavirus
- Video #5 COVID-19: Where did it come from?
- Video #6 COVID-19: Waanga Animal Markets
- Video #7 COVID-19: From animals to people
- Video #8 COVID-19: Are there 2 diseases with 2 different names?
- Video #9 COVID-19: The meaning of the name COVID-19
- Video #10 COVID-19: What is the World Health Organisation?
- Video #11 COVID-19: Has the virus occurred before?
- Video #12 COVID-19: Why are Balanda so frightened of this virus?
- Video #13 COVID-19: What’s the history behind the manikay Ring-a-Ring-a-Rosie?
- Video #14 COVID-19: Old Balanda culture
- Video #15 COVID-19: The discovery of germs
- Video #16 COVID-19: Traditional Yolŋu Social Distancing Law
- Video #17 COVID-19: No Microscopes Before
- Video #18 COVID-19: Looking for the Right Medicine to Stop the Virus
- Video #19 COVID-19: How does it spread
- Video #20 COVID-19: Through the air, from person to person
- Video #21 COVID-19: Viruses floating in the air