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Youth, Alcohol and the Forging of Community


Author(s) : Ken Lipenga
Pop Music, Culture and Identity

Abstract


This chapter stems from discussions on the abuse of alcohol by the youth in Malawi. An interesting development is how hip-hop music takes on the discourse surrounding abuse of alcohol by the youth. Specifically, this chapter examines the glorification of alcohol that is prevalent in the emerging genre of hip-hop music on the Malawian scene. Drawing from the notion of the public sphere popularised by theorist Jurgen Habermas, the chapter advances the central argument that the young musicians forge an identity around alcohol and drug abuse as an escape mode into a fantasy world that elides the realities of poverty and lack of opportunities in the African nation.


Original language en
Pages (from-to) 95-110
Publication status Published - 2023

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10.1007/978-3-031-15251-1_5

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https://www.springer.com/tdm
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Access document

10.1007/978-3-031-15251-1_5

License

https://www.springer.com/tdm