Human rights, activism and civility in reggae music: Critical analysis of Lucky Dube’s selected songs

Abstract

Human right issues have occupied a greater space in the media and many social situations globally. A lot of human right activists have played several roles in promoting the right for humans in and outside Africa through writing, symposia, conferences, music and so on. Humans just like some animals have a desire and appreciation for music. Music is said to be life and much of human entertainment revolves round music. Political movements can affect music and push artists to bridge the gap around pop and political activism. If music is paired with a politically heavy plot, it leans to the right or to the left. This affects the ability of the song to receive full recognition and consideration. A strong interrelationship between art, music and culture characterizes the background of world politics. Sometimes music plays not only the function of cultural identity but does become a key element in communicating and defining the political institutions of the world. This paper employed analyses the impact of Lucky Dube’s selected reggae songs in promoting civilization, activism and human right issues in the society. It critically analyses Lucky Dube’s role as an activist for human right and how these selected songs are used to convey the message therein to the fans of reggae. This study used a humanistic approach to textual analysis while researching and writing this essay, compared to a behavioral approach, which would involve evaluating the effect of messages conveyed by music on the audience. The drawing and interpretation of observations and sense which is not a quantitative impact evaluation, was important in this context.