Music, Media, and the Ethnopoetics of Two Ebola Songs in Liberia

Like the music projects of HIV/AIDS, government agencies, foreign-based nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and local artists promoted songs of awareness, hope, and unity during the 2014 Ebola crisis. Drawing from online music and media sources, this study analyzes the discourse, structure, and musical style of Ebola songs in Liberia funded and composed by NGO initiatives (UNICEF and Liberian Crusaders for Peace) and those produced by independent artists (Shadow, D-12, and Kuzzy of 2Kings). While many would consider the primary value of Ebola music to be educational utility, I argue that these songs represent the cultural and political identities of their composers and establish relationships of power involved in a disease-stricken music scene.