University
of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
Abstract
This
paper examines the texts and contexts that inform the mediatory processes that
Ghanaian video-films have engaged in towards the creation of new cultural
identities, often ambivalent, but sometimes extreme and contestable. The
narratives and subtexts of video-films, particularly those of the Pentecostal
and occult genres, have often posited new cultural identities and worldviews.
The historical and cultural contexts within which these videos are produced and
consumed often demonstrate their potential to create new perceptions about Ghanaians
in general, and to effectively engage in the mediations and negotiations for
new forms of socialization. This paper discusses those processes that inform
contemporary public perceptions of Ghanaian identity (or identities) and what
role video-films play in such processes, particularly within a Ghanaian
context. Using theories of identity, representation and mediation, the paper
attempts a textual reading of a sample of video-films in order to frame their
narrative contexts and ideological subtexts in relation to their role in
identity formation.
Keywords: Video-films, Mediation,
Representation, Identity, Ghana, Text, Context.
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