Off the Mic & Drops the Mic: Celebrities Self-writing & Culture at Crossroads.
As a scholar at the crossroads of multiple disciplines, formerly International Relations (IR), who has transitioned to Cultural Studies, one of my unique advantages is the opportunity to straddle multiple fields and marshal them toward understanding any subject of my choice. As it stands, I claim a disciplinary home in social science and humanities. More so that I am even in an interdisciplinary department. What this means is that I can loan literature and media to understand what function of power and politics both serve in popular culture, IR, or anything.
Self-writing is as diverse as the people and purpose, whether whitewashing, propaganda, controversy, information, or showing vulnerability. Expressly, I am vested in celebrity self-writing for its "purgatory" (soul-cleansing) power and even liberatory potentials that allow people to write without censorship for whatever intent. When I saw Ghanaian actress Yvonne Nelson's book, I knew I needed to acquire it in addition to those I already have and working on. One of the pages of the Ghanaian actress's book, all over social media, alleges that Nigerian songwriter Iyanyan cheated on her with Nigerian actress Tonto Dikeh.
Writings like this interest me for their purpose, power, politics, and even polemics. This exposee by the Ghanaian actress made me wonder if we should expect a book soon from Tontoh or a lawsuit. Will this lead to another vicious circle of self-telling in self-writing among celebrities in Nigeria which has been scanty until when Toke Makinwa released her book some years ago? Is there something Pan-Africanist or otherwise in the relationship between celebrities across borders? When Empress Njamah's issue was hot, I was vested in it not only from my feminist leaning but also the international relations of the furor. Is Nelson's book a drop-the-mic, or it challenges a culture where secrecy shrouds much information by refusing to off its mic? I use off the mic and drop the mic for how some society prioritizes silencing (censorship) and others (saliency and licensing). Yet, both are bound by or share similar attributes of secrecy in some ways.
I don't have all the answers, but someone told me something about a year ago. He said, "I believe you are going to make a great impact in cultural studies; I am convinced you will make a great contribution to the field." In my Pentecostal thinking, I don't know if this is a prophecy or a challenge thrown at me. Regardless of what it is, I invite you to join me in researching this field together. Let's honor past research and researchers in the field, chart new paths, and make our own contributions.
Celebrities self-writing in Africa offers rich titillation for literary and cultural studies with arguably a quotidian impact.
Posted on Facebook on June 21, 2023.
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