Finding Peace and Resiliance in the Middle of a Debilitating Global Pandemic: The Stabilizing and Restorative Propensity of the Zilizopendwa Genre of Music

Abstract

This paper examines how a few selected zilizopendwa artists use their lyrics as a tool to address broader cultural and social issues in a bid to promote social change and stability. It traces the historical and re-contextualisation of zilizopendwa music into the literary scene in contemporary society. Zilizopendwa, in this case, is taken literary by Kenyans to mean "that which was loved". In the process of its enquiry, the study applies postcolonial theory, and by analysing a few selected song texts, the paper aims to portray the importance of this popular and timeless genre to the immediate society. The study then takes a qualitative approach in which the collection of data is done by transcription and translation of lyrics from radio, DVDs and television. It then undertakes a descriptive and analytical approach with the purpose of exploring the historical background of this musical phenomenon and its current contextualisation in the literary field. The study concludes that Zilizopendwa, acts as a therapy in stabilising the mind due to stress caused by covid-19 in Kenya. This was witnessed when the countries were imposing lockdowns and curfews as mitigation measures. Zilizopendwa portrayed the values that society places on the social role of music in purifying the mood when such calamity occurs. The study, therefore, recommends that more studies be done on the role of other genres of music, such as hip-hop, in mitigating COVID-19.