Singing is undertaken by individuals and the community in dealing with real life experiences including death. Death is a reality which humans and animals are not immune to. It defines the end of life and brings pain to humanity. However, humans have mechanisms to deal with pain caused by death, and singing is one of them. The article examines how song is used to tackle the inevitable incidence of death. In this study, traditional and contemporary popular songs were purposively sampled to analyse and reflect on the nature of music used to cope with death. The study engaged 20 people, among them musicians and the elderly. Basing on Kubler-Ross’ (1969) five stage DABDA model of dealing with grief, the paper contends that Shona people celebrate life and death through song. Through singing, the Shona express ways of dealing with death. Some Shona beliefs in life after death inform the paper with ways of dealing with pain and how subsequently the Shona people come to accept the reality of death. The bereaved also exhibit some spirited embodiment, and reverence of the departed regardless of their earthly conduct. The study concludes that through song, the Shona people draw solace, hope, and peace of mind with regard to life after death. The frame of mind that accepts the imminence of death is embraced by many as they prepare for death through preparatory moves in taking funeral and general insurance policies. The engagement into singing tends to weaken the sting of death.
It is not until the 1970s and 1980s that popular music becomes the medium for the message in the protest songs of Zimbabweans. The protest song becomes a voice for many who suffer in silence because they cannot speak up against what is going on-what is called mubikira. This article discusses how two recent popular protest songs about the ongoing political, social and humanitarian crisis in Zimbabwe disseminate their message through lyrics, musical style and the media and technology, engaging with Street's (2006) distinction between music which intends to be political and music in which the politics derive from the interpretation.
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