Alternative Expressions of Citizen Voices: The Protest Song and Popular Engagements with the Mozambican State
This study examines Mozambican popular music to investigate empowerment and accountability issues
Abstract
This study examines Mozambican popular music to investigate 3 questions: Are notions of empowerment and accountability present in popular music in Mozambique? If so, what can these existing notions of empowerment and accountability reveal about relations between citizens and state institutions in general and about citizen-led social and political action in particular? In what ways is popular music used to support citizen mobilisation in Mozambique? The discussion is based on an analysis of 46 protest songs, interviews with musicians, music producers and event promoters as well as field interviews and observations among audiences at selected popular music concerts and public workshops in Maputo city. Secondary data were drawn from radio broadcasts, digital media, and social networks. The songs analysed were widely played in the past two decades (1998–2018), a period in which 3 different presidents led the country. Our focus is on the protest song, conceived as those musical products that are concerned with public affairs, particularly public policy and how it affects citizens’ social, political and economic life, and the relationship between citizens and the state.
This work is part of the Action for Empowerment and Accountability (A4EA) Research programme
Citation
Manhiça, A.; Shankland, A.; Taela, K.; Gonçalves, E.; Maivasse, C. and Tadros, M. (2020) Alternative Expressions of Citizen Voices: The Protest Song and Popular Engagements with the Mozambican State, IDS Working Paper 541, Brighton: Institute of Development Studies