Singing Truth to Power and the Disempowered: The Case of Lucky Mensah and His Song, “Nkratoɔ”

Kambon, Ọbádélé; Adjei, Godwin K.

doi:10.1007/978-3-319-48631-4_9

Cited by 1 publication

(2 citation statements)

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“…The major limitations of this study include the limited focus on Ghana music and the potential for missing some songs created during this short time frame or not having access to other songs that were short-lived in the media. In addition, many of the songs used as data for this study could benefit from a more detailed lyrical analysis ( 9 ), which we hope will be undertaken in future research. Nevertheless, this paper focused on the unique and novel contribution of music to creating awareness about COVID-19 in Ghana and similar studies should also be conducted in other countries.…”

Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is also used to recount history, and it forms a part of festivals, ceremonies related to rites of passage and other cultural functions ( 55 ). Music can be used as a vehicle for praise and criticism, especially in cases where authority figures are involved ( 8 , 9 ). Also, it has the ability to alter knowledge, attitudes and behavior ( 10 – 13 ), and the potential to provide a way to access target audiences that could be missed with other methods of communication ( 14 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Communicating Awareness About COVID-19 Through Songs: An Example From Ghana

Thompson

Nutor

Johnson

2021

Front. Public Health

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Research has shown that music can be used to educate or disseminate information about public health crises. Grounded in the edutainment approach, we explored how songs are being used to create awareness about COVID-19 in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country. YouTube was searched, and 28 songs met the study inclusion criteria. We conducted a thematic analysis of the song lyrics. Most lyrics were in English, Ghanaian Pidgin English, Akan, Ga, or Dagbani. Reflecting the multilingual population of Ghana, half of the songs contained three languages to convey their message, and only five songs were in one language. Eight themes emerged from the analysis: public health guidelines, COVID-19 is real and not a hoax, COVID-19 is infectious, prayer as method to stop the virus, emotional reaction and disruption of “everyday” activities; verbally expelling the virus, call for unity and collective efforts, and inspiring hope. We show that songs have the potential as a method for rapidly sharing information about emerging public health crises. Even though, it is beyond the scope of this study to draw conclusions about the reception and impact of songs on awareness and knowledge, the study shows that examining song lyrics can still be useful in understanding local attitudes toward COVID-19, as well as strategies for promoting preventive behaviors. We note that additional multidimensional efforts are needed to increase awareness among the general public about the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Section: Limitationsmentioning

confidence: 99%