9. Singing Truth to Power and the Disempowered: The Case of Lucky Mensah and His Song, “Nkratoɔ”

This chapter focuses on language use in Lucky Mensah’s song Nkratoɔ “Message,” which gained popularity in 2010, as an example of the emerging voice of the ostensibly voiceless in Africa’s nascent democracies and the freedom of speech engendered in such dynamic political and cultural milieus. Lucky Mensah transforms himself into a veritable modern ɔkyeame “spokesperson/intermediary”—a fixture of traditional Ghanaian governance structures and the intermediary between the indigenous ruler and the ruled (Yankah, Speaking for the chief: Ɔkyeame and the politics of Akan royal oratory. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1995). This analogy notes that the traditional system works in a different way than the modern manifestation exemplified by Mensah. Whereas the ɔkyeame “spokesperson/intermediary” would have set contexts, such as in the palace, whereby he would perform his traditional intermediary function, Mensah uses song and modern digital media. The major parallel being drawn is the key function of being the intermediary between the ruler and the ruled. Further, we will discuss the sociocultural and political meanings of the lyrics of Nkratoɔ as well as the overall significance of the song in the Ghanaian context. By primarily focusing on the use of proverbs, idioms, analogies, allusion, and insinuation as tools of political communication directed to the overarching power structure while simultaneously addressing the ordinary citizenry, the chapter emphasizes that popular music functions largely as a forum for commentating on the ills and frustrations of society, for uniting the citizenry, and even undermining the power and prestige of the ruling government by singing truth to power and the disempowered in Africa.