Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music

The debate in this paper is enthused by the neurotic recurrence of the Shona linguistic expression “Musoja” (soldier) in Zimdancehall musical discourses. The enthusiastic utilisation of this name by the assemblage of Zimdancehall artists such as Sniper Storm, Jah Prayzer and Guspy Warrior, among oth...

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Main Authors: Mpofu, Phillip, Tembo, Charles
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis (Routledge): 2016
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Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1115
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author Mpofu, Phillip
Tembo, Charles
author_facet Mpofu, Phillip
Tembo, Charles
author_sort Mpofu, Phillip
collection DSpace
description The debate in this paper is enthused by the neurotic recurrence of the Shona linguistic expression “Musoja” (soldier) in Zimdancehall musical discourses. The enthusiastic utilisation of this name by the assemblage of Zimdancehall artists such as Sniper Storm, Jah Prayzer and Guspy Warrior, among others, is profoundly sustained by the militarised lingo, images and discourses that suffuse into their titles, chants, mannerisms, gesticulation and regalia in musical videos and performances. This article critically interrogates the foundation and motivations of the obsessive utilisation of the name “Musoja” (soldier) and other related militaristic expressions in the Zimdancehall music fraternity. It further analyses the outcomes and implications of employing these military images in expressing non-military phenomena as observed in Zimdancehall music to the image of the musicians, the content of music, their musical performances, music brand in general as well as the military service personnel. In addressing these issues, we make use of the discourse analysis method, semiotics and the theories of representation. It is argued in this paper that this militarisation of Zimdancehall music, where the artists symbolically present themselves as “soldiers” in music, is a way of transferring the power from the real soldiers to the seemingly feeble Zimdancehall musicians as a way of raising their own significance and the value of their music in a well-established music industry in Zimbabwe. Their militarised musical discourse has also resulted in militarisation of life by elevating military prowess above everything in life events. More so, it is ironic to note that the militarisation of Zimdancehall music has also resulted in the demilitarisation of the military service.
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spelling ir-11408-11152022-06-27T13:49:06Z Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music Mpofu, Phillip Tembo, Charles Zimdancehall, militarisation, demilitarisation, music discourse, “Musoja” The debate in this paper is enthused by the neurotic recurrence of the Shona linguistic expression “Musoja” (soldier) in Zimdancehall musical discourses. The enthusiastic utilisation of this name by the assemblage of Zimdancehall artists such as Sniper Storm, Jah Prayzer and Guspy Warrior, among others, is profoundly sustained by the militarised lingo, images and discourses that suffuse into their titles, chants, mannerisms, gesticulation and regalia in musical videos and performances. This article critically interrogates the foundation and motivations of the obsessive utilisation of the name “Musoja” (soldier) and other related militaristic expressions in the Zimdancehall music fraternity. It further analyses the outcomes and implications of employing these military images in expressing non-military phenomena as observed in Zimdancehall music to the image of the musicians, the content of music, their musical performances, music brand in general as well as the military service personnel. In addressing these issues, we make use of the discourse analysis method, semiotics and the theories of representation. It is argued in this paper that this militarisation of Zimdancehall music, where the artists symbolically present themselves as “soldiers” in music, is a way of transferring the power from the real soldiers to the seemingly feeble Zimdancehall musicians as a way of raising their own significance and the value of their music in a well-established music industry in Zimbabwe. Their militarised musical discourse has also resulted in militarisation of life by elevating military prowess above everything in life events. More so, it is ironic to note that the militarisation of Zimdancehall music has also resulted in the demilitarisation of the military service. 2016-04-27T15:19:09Z 2016-04-27T15:19:09Z 2015 Article 1753-593X http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1115 en MUZIKI/:Journal of Music Research in Africa;Vol.12, No.1;p.103-121 open Taylor & Francis (Routledge):
spellingShingle Zimdancehall, militarisation, demilitarisation, music discourse, “Musoja”
Mpofu, Phillip
Tembo, Charles
Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title_full Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title_fullStr Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title_full_unstemmed Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title_short Militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in Zimdancehall music
title_sort militarising music and demilitarising the military: making sense of “musoja” in zimdancehall music
topic Zimdancehall, militarisation, demilitarisation, music discourse, “Musoja”
url http://hdl.handle.net/11408/1115
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