Local reception of global media texts: Telenovelas as sites of cultural mixture in Ghana

Abstract

Telenovelas have had phenomenal success as global media texts, but their continuous export to Africa has signifi cant cultural implications. Using hybridity theory and Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of audience reception, this paper assessed the extent to which Simply Maria, an 'indigenised' telenovela of Mexican origin, infl uenced the local identity of Ghanaian viewers and the mechanisms through which this occurred. Interviews with regular viewers revealed that the telenovela shaped views about personal identity. This occurred through internalisation, value-based evaluations and identifi cation with characters. Viewers decoded the telenovela from a negotiated position, a development which calmed the homogenising currents of globalisation feared by cultural theorists.

Promoting Ghanaian languages: The role of telenovela series

“…In Ghana, there are fi ve major indigenous languages (Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagaare and Dagbani) (Dakubu, 1996) with English as the offi cial language. The Akan language has been noted as a popular language spoken (Tindi & Ayiku, 2018) in Accra and this might be the reason why the TV stations decided to indigenise and glocalise Telenovelas using the Akan language (Twi and Fante dialects). Majority of the market women argued that not many of the Telenovelas are aired in the other Ghanaian languages.…”