Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia
Drawing on a popular music video titled ‘Beelbaa’ by a young Oromo artist, Jambo Jote, this article discusses the moments and contexts that compel young people to speak up in subtle and poetic ways. By interpreting the content of the lyrics, doing a visual analysis of the music video, and connecting...
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doaj-e4fa5ea827aa4e59984b8980d0838ebe2021-04-21T23:01:56ZengMDPI AGHumanities2076-07872021-04-0110707010.3390/h10020070Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/EthiopiaTatek Abebe0Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, NTNU, N-7491 Trondheim, NorwayDrawing on a popular music video titled ‘Beelbaa’ by a young Oromo artist, Jambo Jote, this article discusses the moments and contexts that compel young people to speak up in subtle and poetic ways. By interpreting the content of the lyrics, doing a visual analysis of the music video, and connecting both to contemporary discourses, it explores how researching social memory through music can be used as a lens to understand Ethiopian society, politics, and history. The article draws attention to alternative spaces of resistance as well as sites of intergenerational connections such as lyrics, music videos, songs, and online discussions. I argue that storytelling through music not only bridges differences on problematic and sometimes highly polarized discourses engendered by selective remembering and forgetting of national history, but that it is also indispensable for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. Tuning into young people’s music can touch us in ways that are real, immediate, and therapeutic, making it possible for our collective wounds to heal. I further demonstrate that as musical storytelling appeals to multiple generations, it can facilitate mediation, truce, and intergenerational understanding.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/2/70social memoryreconciliationpeacepopular musicmusic as resistanceintergenerational healing |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Tatek Abebe |
spellingShingle |
Tatek Abebe Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia Humanities social memory reconciliation peace popular music music as resistance intergenerational healing |
author_facet |
Tatek Abebe |
author_sort |
Tatek Abebe |
title |
Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia |
title_short |
Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia |
title_full |
Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia |
title_fullStr |
Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia |
title_full_unstemmed |
Storytelling through Popular Music: Social Memory, Reconciliation, and Intergenerational Healing in Oromia/Ethiopia |
title_sort |
storytelling through popular music: social memory, reconciliation, and intergenerational healing in oromia/ethiopia |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Humanities |
issn |
2076-0787 |
publishDate |
2021-04-01 |
description |
Drawing on a popular music video titled ‘Beelbaa’ by a young Oromo artist, Jambo Jote, this article discusses the moments and contexts that compel young people to speak up in subtle and poetic ways. By interpreting the content of the lyrics, doing a visual analysis of the music video, and connecting both to contemporary discourses, it explores how researching social memory through music can be used as a lens to understand Ethiopian society, politics, and history. The article draws attention to alternative spaces of resistance as well as sites of intergenerational connections such as lyrics, music videos, songs, and online discussions. I argue that storytelling through music not only bridges differences on problematic and sometimes highly polarized discourses engendered by selective remembering and forgetting of national history, but that it is also indispensable for reconciliation and peaceful coexistence. Tuning into young people’s music can touch us in ways that are real, immediate, and therapeutic, making it possible for our collective wounds to heal. I further demonstrate that as musical storytelling appeals to multiple generations, it can facilitate mediation, truce, and intergenerational understanding. |
topic |
social memory reconciliation peace popular music music as resistance intergenerational healing |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0787/10/2/70 |
work_keys_str_mv |
AT tatekabebe storytellingthroughpopularmusicsocialmemoryreconciliationandintergenerationalhealinginoromiaethiopia |
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