POPULAR MUSIC AS VEHICLE FOR CULTURAL CHANGE INTERVENTION: TAKUN J’S CULTURAL DIPLOMACY IN POST-CONFLICT LIBERIA
Keywords:
cultural diplomacy, international development, instrumentalization, Liberia, impact evaluationAbstract
Hiring local artists to collaborate on efforts intending to change values and alter behavior is an approach used by aid organizations in international development. Soft-power campaigns targeting local attitudes are often seen by the development institution as positive collaborations between foreign humanitarians and local artists. Song for Hawa, a 2013 collaboration between Liberian artist/rapper Takun J, and the international NGO PCI Media Impact, is a cultural diplomacy campaign intending to engage Liberians about the difficult topic of child rape. This paper discusses concerns with this instrumental approach to culture in development, and difficulties with the impact evaluationof using art to affect social change.
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