Construction of Masculinity in Kenyan Popular Music: a Close Analysis of Selected Kamba Popular Performances
Abstract
In the contemporary world popular music has become a fertile ground for the demonstration
of masculine identity with artists making songs an arena for the exhibition of masculine
identity. The current study, construction of masculinity in Kamba popular music endeavors to
interrogate selected Kamba popular songs, showing how hegemonic masculinities are
celebrated and revered. The study analyses the content of the selected songs in order to
expose music as a medium for normalizing, transmitting and reinforcing the perceived male
superiority versus female inferiority.
The study highlights the discourses of masculinity vis a vis feminity. The impetus of the
study was borne from the realization that spoken language could be used as a vehicle for the
transmission of societal ideas and for the construction of a gendered identity. The study was
limited to the construction of masculinity in selected Kamba popular songs. It worked on the
hypothesis that there are stereotypical roles attributed to masculine and feminine genders.
The artists’ choices and language used was what made the songs present both genders
differently and stereotypically. Appealing language was used to refer to men whereas
demeaning language was used to refer to women. Aesthetics has been established to play a
vital role in the construction of gender and even women themselves play a role in the
construction of a gendered identity through their sexualized dance in the music performances.
The study has highlighted how popular songs disseminate messages which mirror dominant
hegemonic attitudes and believes about sexuality. Young men and women who listen to this
kind of music will, with time, perceive the sexual stereotypes as the norm.
Performativity theory aided in the interpretation of the connotative meanings in the Kamba
popular poetics. Ethnopoetics theory was also found appropriate as it privileged the literary
aesthetics of the poetics. Finally, the feminist theory was used as the study touches issues to
do with women.
Publisher
University of Nairobi
Rights
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United StatesUsage Rights
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/us/Collections
- Faculty of Arts [657]
The following license files are associated with this item: