POPULAR MUSIC AS JOURNALISM IN ZIMBABWE

Abstract

The paper argues that popular music can act as a variety of journalism at certain historic moments and in specific contexts. Where mass media are weak and opposition political parties are frail, music can serve as the voice of the voiceless by offering subtle avenues of expression. Popular music can perform the journalistic function of communicating daily issues in ways that challenge the powerful and give a voice to the disadvantaged. Popular music competes and rivals mainstream journalism in the ways it addresses political, social and economic realities in repressive contexts. Whereas newspapers and magazines ridicule and lampoon the powerful within opinion columns and cartoons, music radio relies on subtle wordplay to denounce the mighty and powerful. The paper discusses popular journalism in relation to the way in which postcolonial popular Zimbabwean musicians have effectively communicated everyday life problems in their country. The main focus is on how three Zimbabwean musicians, especially from 1999 to 2005, have had their work “banned” from radio because of the way it was perceived to be challenging the Zimbabwean state. Music has clearly served as journalism in Zimbabwe. The music has been popular with the people. The paper argues that this kind of music should be critically explored as a form of popular journalism.