![]() To compensate for the lack of funding, citizens were educated with regularly posted updates on the NCCE website and social media platforms ( 7). As of April 25, 2020, the National Commission for Civic Education (NCCE), which could effectively educate citizens in every district using various indigenous Ghanaian languages, had been unable to do so due to lack of government funds ( 6). ![]() However, citizens who do not understand the national or official language must rely on other citizens to be accurately informed. These directives, mainly in English with direct translation in Ghanaian Sign Language, were disseminated on electronic and social media platforms. Ghana recorded its first two cases of COVID-19 on Maand cases have risen exponentially in the country to 13,717 as of J(with 85 deaths), prompting presidential directives to increase awareness among citizens by creating and disseminating information on various preventive measures. As a result, there have been urgent calls to find innovative ways to increase awareness about COVID-19 and help reduce the outbreak of this infectious disease ( 4, 5). For example, low awareness and misperceptions about COVID-19 were reported in some parts of the world, such as North America, Europe and Africa ( 2, 3). However, awareness (attitudes, knowledge) of COVID-19 differs across various parts of the world. Over a short period of time, the general public was provided information about COVID-19 and guidance about how to mitigate spread of the virus (e.g., face coverings, washing hands, physical distancing). ![]() Following these declarations and other reports about the emergence of a new severe respiratory infection, public health officials rapidly developed and deployed public health messages about the pandemic around the world. Shortly thereafter on March 12, 2020, the WHO declared COVID-19 a pandemic ( 1). On January 30, 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) announced a “Public Health Emergency of International Concern” related to the spread of a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) that causes COVID-19. We note that additional multidimensional efforts are needed to increase awareness among the general public about the COVID-19 pandemic. Even though, it is beyond the scope of this study to draw conclusions about the reception and impact of songs on awareness and knowledge, the study shows that examining song lyrics can still be useful in understanding local attitudes toward COVID-19, as well as strategies for promoting preventive behaviors. We show that songs have the potential as a method for rapidly sharing information about emerging public health crises. Eight themes emerged from the analysis: public health guidelines, COVID-19 is real and not a hoax, COVID-19 is infectious, prayer as method to stop the virus, emotional reaction and disruption of “everyday” activities verbally expelling the virus, call for unity and collective efforts, and inspiring hope. Reflecting the multilingual population of Ghana, half of the songs contained three languages to convey their message, and only five songs were in one language. Most lyrics were in English, Ghanaian Pidgin English, Akan, Ga, or Dagbani. ![]() We conducted a thematic analysis of the song lyrics. YouTube was searched, and 28 songs met the study inclusion criteria. Grounded in the edutainment approach, we explored how songs are being used to create awareness about COVID-19 in Ghana, a sub-Saharan African country. Research has shown that music can be used to educate or disseminate information about public health crises.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |