Framing of COVID-19 safety protocols in Kusaal musical health communication: Language and literary analysis
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Date
2021
Authors
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Publisher
Language & Communication
Abstract
This article examines how indigenous language and music are used to promote the education
of the Kusaal-speaking communities within the Upper East Region of Ghana on the
COVID-19 safety protocols. Using the framing theory, the study conceptualises how the
music composer frames COVID-19 safety protocols in a very practical yet entertaining
manner to evoke adherence by natives to the protocols through a local musical performance
called googi. The singer who doubles as the composer employs several language,
linguistic and literary techniques to communicate the major themes (COVID-19 protocols)
of the song. Further, the music communicates hope and promise in the capacity of
ancestral deities to step back into time during periods of catastrophe to alleviate the
sufferings of their subjects. The paper is entirely qualitative; it deploys the parallel text
approach in transliterating the song. This study is the first of its kind in Kusaal and in the
Mabia languages of West Africa and it has the potential of contributing significantly to
debates around the subject matter. Future studies could examine how other local languages
could be adopted as edutainment tools in the fight against global pandemics.
Description
Research Article
Keywords
Googi, Kusaal, Musical health communication, COVID-19, COVID-19 safety protocol, Mabia languages