Music in Africa During Pandemics/Epidemics: Studying the Interaction Between Ijo Owigiri Music and COVID-19

This article focuses on 'musicalperformances' of COVID-19 in owigiri, the Ijo variant of West African highlife. As with musicians on the African continent in times of epidemics or pandemics generally, artists among the Ijo of Nigeria's Niger Delta region have used this music to create awareness about the pandemic. To educate audiences about covid, artists use the same songs to reflect on the interface between adversity and creativity and religion and health, negotiate their Ijo identity, and critique the Nigerian political class.
Introduction Jonah Eller-Isaacs, in his chapter in The Culture of AIDS in Africa: Hope and Healing through Music and the Arts, notes the importance of music: 'Music is deeply rooted [...]