Thematising COVID-19 pandemic: A reading of selected songs of a popular Borana musician

Abstract

COVID-19 pandemic is a global phenomenon that has ravaged the world population for the past two years. Because of its newness and  overwhelming impact, many aspects of the infection by the COVID-19 virus and its effects remain obscure. One of these aspects is the  communal responses to it among societies that are rural and marginal to world events such as the Borana of North East Africa. Yet  exploring this field promises the discovery of vibrant knowledge. Thus, a number of oral artists have used their mother languages to  compose songs to educate the vulnerable masses on the disastrous consequences of the disease and how to mitigate them in the  interim. This paper analyses one such song by a popular Borana musician who goes by the stage name of King Sama entitled “Koronaan  Dhukkub Bada” (COVID-19 is a Deadly Disease) and teases out not only the didactic message formulated and voiced by the singer but  also the stylistic nuances by means of which it is encapsulated and disseminated. The singer informs, educates and cautions the  community in the face of the calamity the disease has proven to be and appeals to the people to recourse to discipline, the mercy of god,  and the vitality of tradition and culture to overcome a situation whereby humanity could be on the verge of extinction.