It was in the lab of the Botswana–Harvard AIDS Institute Partnership (BHP) back in 2021 that the Omicron variant of the coronavirus was first identified. | Photo: Jon Hrusa / Keystone

At this year’s Africa Biennial Biosciences Communication (ABBC) symposium, the Botswana-based Zimbabwean virologist Sikhulile Moyo and the science journalist Kim Waddilove from South Africa spoke about the complex role played by African scientists during the Covid-19 pandemic. Moyo was one of the researchers who first published details of the Omicron variant back in 2021. After they announced their discovery, however, countries all over the world set up entry bans for people travelling from Southern Africa. Moyo spoke at the time with the broadcaster Al Jazeera, saying, “we don’t think that the countries – ourselves, South Africa and others – should be punished for sharing our data transparently with the world”. At ABBC, Waddilove said: “Africa was not recognised for its scientific leadership. It got a huge backlash; Africa was blamed, reinforcing colonial stereotypes that the continent is the source of many global pandemics”.