KGOMOTSO CHRISTOPHER,
“Like everyone else, adjusting to a new way of life in such a sudden and extreme way has been challenging. For my family, it was unfortunate that we had already been social distancing for precautionary reasons when the lockdown was announced. My husband returned from an international trip days before the school lockdown, and our children’s teachers had already asked that learners whose parents had been travelling stay away from school. I had to be released from shooting my scenes at work, and I also released my domestic worker to go home until the 14-day period had passed. We also had to minimise our interaction with my elderly mom, who lives with us — she spent most of her time in her cottage, something that was very tough but necessary. When the lockdown officially started, we already had cabin fever! Despite this being a time of uncertainty, it’s allowed a lot of us the opportunity to slow down and appreciate the simpler things in life. As a family we’ve tried to keep a very pragmatic approach by reading a lot on the pandemic, and exposing ourselves to different views around the world. I’ve also watched documentaries with my kids about other pandemics that were even deadlier than what we are currently facing. We are limiting the hours we spend watching the news channels. We have, instead, chosen to fill our lives with activities that bring us comfort and positivity. As a freelancer, in an already precarious industry, I can’t help but worry about the possibility of the entertainment sector shrinking and impacting us negatively as artists.