Music in Africa During Pandemics/Epidemics: Studying the Interaction Between Ịjọ Owigiri Music and COVID-19

Abstract

Abstract: This article focuses on "musical performances" of COVID-19 in owigiri, the Ịjọ variant of West African highlife. As with musicians on the African continent in times of epidemics or pandemics generally, artists among the Ịjọ of Nigeria's Niger Delta region have used this music to create awareness about the pandemic. To educate audiences about covid, artists use the same songs to reflect on the interface between adversity and creativity and religion and health, negotiate their Ịjọ identity, and critique the Nigerian political class.