Abstract:Telenovelas have had phenomenal success as global media texts, but their continuous export to Africa has signifi cant cultural implications. Using hybridity theory and Stuart Hall's encoding/decoding model of audience reception, this paper assessed the extent to which Simply Maria, an 'indigenised' telenovela of Mexican origin, infl uenced the local identity of Ghanaian viewers and the mechanisms through which this occurred. Interviews with regular viewers revealed that the telenovela shaped views about person… Show more
“…In Ghana, there are fi ve major indigenous languages (Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagaare and Dagbani) (Dakubu, 1996) with English as the offi cial language. The Akan language has been noted as a popular language spoken (Tindi & Ayiku, 2018) in Accra and this might be the reason why the TV stations decided to indigenise and glocalise Telenovelas using the Akan language (Twi and Fante dialects). Majority of the market women argued that not many of the Telenovelas are aired in the other Ghanaian languages.…”
Section: Telenovela and Ghanaian Local Language Promotionmentioning
Telenovelas have become an attractive form of entertainment for many Ghanaians largely because of the use of local Ghanaian languages as voice-overs during telecast. The question that arises is – Does the telecast of telenovelas in a local language play any role in the promotion of Ghanaian languages? Using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, we explored the role of Telenovelas with voice-overs in the promotion of Ghanaian languages among residents of some communities in Accra, Ghana; specifically, Lapaz, Osu and Gbawe Mallam communities, University students and market women. Findings show that due to low English literacy levels, voice-over telenovelas were preferred among residents in Lapaz community and the market women. A privately-owned television station, Max TV, emerged as the station with a wider audience due to its innovative broadcasting strategy of voice-over Telenovelas using the Ghanaian (Akan) language. Overall, the telenovelas appear to be promoting the Akan language by exposing viewers to lexical knowledge, facilitating the acquisition of new vocabulary items, and shaping children’s learning of Akan. This paper, therefore, unearths the significance of glocalization of telenovelas in the promotion of local languages in Ghana.
“…In Ghana, there are fi ve major indigenous languages (Akan, Ewe, Ga, Dagaare and Dagbani) (Dakubu, 1996) with English as the offi cial language. The Akan language has been noted as a popular language spoken (Tindi & Ayiku, 2018) in Accra and this might be the reason why the TV stations decided to indigenise and glocalise Telenovelas using the Akan language (Twi and Fante dialects). Majority of the market women argued that not many of the Telenovelas are aired in the other Ghanaian languages.…”
Section: Telenovela and Ghanaian Local Language Promotionmentioning
Telenovelas have become an attractive form of entertainment for many Ghanaians largely because of the use of local Ghanaian languages as voice-overs during telecast. The question that arises is – Does the telecast of telenovelas in a local language play any role in the promotion of Ghanaian languages? Using focus group discussions and in-depth interviews, we explored the role of Telenovelas with voice-overs in the promotion of Ghanaian languages among residents of some communities in Accra, Ghana; specifically, Lapaz, Osu and Gbawe Mallam communities, University students and market women. Findings show that due to low English literacy levels, voice-over telenovelas were preferred among residents in Lapaz community and the market women. A privately-owned television station, Max TV, emerged as the station with a wider audience due to its innovative broadcasting strategy of voice-over Telenovelas using the Ghanaian (Akan) language. Overall, the telenovelas appear to be promoting the Akan language by exposing viewers to lexical knowledge, facilitating the acquisition of new vocabulary items, and shaping children’s learning of Akan. This paper, therefore, unearths the significance of glocalization of telenovelas in the promotion of local languages in Ghana.
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