CeCASt Brunch Seminar Week 3

Exploring Expression and Resilience Dynamics in Ghanaian Crisis Narratives through
Dance and Rhetoric: A Study of Protests

Authors: Joann Thompson and Stella Afi Yegblemenawo
 

Abstract:
People around the world depend on the power of numbers to influence policy decisions, resulting in  public  protests  and  spontaneous  activism  as  means  of  raising  concerns,  demanding accountability, and advocating change. In Ghana for instance, some significant protests like the #OccupyFlagstaffHouse  protest  (2014), the  Montie  FM  protest  (2016),  the  #FixTheCountry movement  (2021,  2023)  have  underscored  citizen  dissatisfaction  with  ongoing  economic challenges  and  governance  failures.  One  compelling  phenomenon  in  these  protests  is  the employment of spontaneous music and dance (gyama) as a powerful rhetorical strategy that communicates messages of hope, unity, resistance, resilience, and cultural identity, transcending traditional verbal communication within the context of Ghanaian crisis narratives. Dance becomes a medium through which individuals and communities in Ghana assert their voices, reclaim agency, and navigate turbulent times. This research, therefore, investigates spontaneous protest- related music and dance that affect public perception and inspire support for particular causes.