African Women, Covid-19, Grounded theology and the adoption of a religious virtual space in CITAM Ngong Church and Nomiya Luo Church in Kenya

Abstract

The Republic of Kenya Ministry of Health update on Corona Virus on 13th February 2020 insisted that persons were to avoid close contact with people suffering from acute respiratory infections. A ban was imposed on public meetings. Later, lockdowns were introduced, and religious meetings were banned across the country. Religious actors during and after the Covid-19 lockdowns devised ways through which they could reach their members, given the absence of physical meetings. The adoption of religious virtual space has impacted African women’s congregational life variously. Acknowledging the integral role of technology in our contemporary times, this article reflects on the creation and adoption of virtual space by African women in CITAM Ngong and Nomiya Church, Kenya, in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. It will also highlight some aspects relating to mental health during the pandemic. Using grounded theology as a useful methodological approach, over a period of 6 months, data was collected that was in touch with the realities of the religious arena. Through grounded theology, data was generated deriving from research on religious virtual space. Methodologically, the study adopted grounded theology as a method for unearthing stories informing the everyday lives of African women in the religious virtual space from data collected over six months. The theoretical framework applied is Rogers’ diffusion and adoption theory to explain the adoption of technology by women from these two churches. The key findings emerging from the study are that technology adoption is complex and inherently social. In addition, gendered experiences from the everyday lives of these African women considered broader and embedded structures, because it is in relation to these that the religious virtual space was made meaningful. Further, access to the right technology and resources that run technology influenced the use of the religious virtual space by the women.