Use of Senegalese music to raise coronavirus awareness on social media

Sendra Fernandez, Estrella and Keyti, Keyti (2022) Use of Senegalese music to raise coronavirus awareness on social media. Journal of African Media Studies, 14 (1), 81-94. (doi:10.1386/jams_00066_1).

Record type: Article

Abstract

Senegal is a country with a long history of oral tradition, where the griot is the leading figure responsible for the transmission of messages from generation to generation over centuries. They are highly regarded and considered in society as a mediator and advisor through their music or spoken word. As Senegal witnessed the arrival of the first cases of coronavirus, a large number of musicians used social media to disseminate songs raising coronavirus awareness. Following these first initiatives, President Macky Sall met with several acclaimed musicians in the country. This led to the production of a polyphonic song released by the social media platforms of the Ministry of Health and Social Action. This article looks at music as an ‘edutaining’ and phenomenologically proximate communication strategy to raise awareness about coronavirus and the measures that can be taken to prevent its spread.

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Published date: 1 March 2022

Additional Information: Funding Information: The co-authorship of this article has only been possible thanks to the SOAS Seed Corn Fund (grant no 211558). We are very grateful to the research team at SOAS, University of London, which awarded us this fund and made this collaboration possible. Keyti’s work has been crucial to ensure the accuracy of information, but more importantly, it has provided an insider’s perspective, because of not just being based in Senegal but also for his long history of social engagement and crucial role in creative journalism and artivism in Senegal. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to all artists who have kindly and generously shared their time with us – in particular Xuman, DIP Doundou Guiss and Fou Malade. The inclusion of this range of voices has inspired our analysis and allowed us to understand the multiple facets of the work produced by Senegalese musicians. Finally, we would like to thank the editors of this journal for the consideration of our work and, even more so, for putting together this Special Issue devoted to media and the corona pandemic in Africa. Funding Information: The co-authorship of this article has only been possible thanks to the SOAS Seed Corn Fund (grant no 211558). We are very grateful to the research team at SOAS, University of London, which awarded us this fund and made this collaboration possible. Keyti?s work has been crucial to ensure the accuracy of information, but more importantly, it has provided an insider?s perspec-tive, because of not just being based in Senegal but also for his long history of social engagement and crucial role in creative journalism and artivism in Senegal. We would also like to express our deepest gratitude to all artists who have kindly and generously shared their time with us ? in particular Xuman, DIP Doundou Guiss and Fou Malade. The inclusion of this range of voices has inspired our analysis and allowed us to understand the multiple facets of the work produced by Senegalese musicians. Finally, we would like to thank the editors of this journal for the consideration of our work and, even more so, for putting together this Special Issue devoted to media and the corona pandemic in Africa. Publisher Copyright: © 2022 Intellect Ltd Article. English language.

Keywords: Awareness campaign, Coronavirus, Edutainment, Music, Senegal, Social media