AN EXAMINATION OF THE PHILOSOPHY IN TIV POP-SONGS IN CURBING CORRUPTION IN THE SOCIETY

Abstract

Corruption is not just an endemic evil; it is a pandemic virus that eats away the commonwealth of any society. It is therefore the obligation of the citizens of such a society to seek ways of curbing it. Some of these ways are through the orientation of the citizens, expositions on the evil of corruption through academics, religious homilies, and popular music, among others. Many scholars, political commentators, religious leaders and social influencers have done so much in this regard, lamenting about the ills of corruption and sometimes proffering solutions that are farfetched and completely abstract from the people. This study therefore aims at examining the role of popular music within the context of the Tiv people. The significance of this work is based on the fact that if the philosophy imbedded in the Tiv pop-music is properly analysed, the people will better appraise the evil of corruption on personal basis which is the best way of tackling the menace. Using qualitative method of Ethnography and Phenomenology approaches, the study finds, through the analysis of two Tiv pop-songs, that even though these songs are popular among the people, they have little understanding of the essence of the philosophy they bear. It is recommended that local leaders should do more in educating the people about the core messages of these pop-songs for them to imbibe the spirit of the philosophy behind the songs for a corruption-free-society.