| Title: |
Exposure to “Gae Smoking” Caricature Song Against Prominent Igbo Politician on Whatsapp and its Influence on Hemp Smokers in Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University |
| Author(s): |
Obiakor Casmir U & Adikuru Chinonso C. |
| Abstract: |
Most popular songs are bombarded with lyrics glamorizing lavish lifestyles of the rich and famous, fancy cars, illicit drugs and other forms of substance abuse. One of such music by a Nigerian artiste is “Gae” by Nuno Zigi which went viral on WhatsApp after it was used to make a caricature of a prominent wealthy Igbo man during the 2023 presidential elections. This study assessed whether the WhatsApp video on “Gae Smoking” featuring a prominent Igbo elder statesman influenced smoking of Indian hemp among Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu University (COOU) students. Among the objectives of the study are to ascertain the frequency of exposure to the “Gae-smoking” song on WhatsApp featuring a wealthy Igbo elder statesman by hemp smokers in COOU and to ascertain in what ways the “Gae-smoking” song featuring a wealthy Igbo elder statesman influenced their hemp smoking habits. The study made use of the Focus Group Discussion (FGD) method to study 60 hemp smokers in COOU using six FGD sessions each made up of 10 participants. The study, anchored on the Uses and Gratifications theory, found that respondents were frequently exposed to the “Gae-smoking” song featuring a wealthy Igbo elder statesman and that the song reinforced their smoking habit by making them enjoy smoking hemp more frequently. The study recommended that the Federal government through appropriate regulatory bodies should put in more effort in monitoring and banning songs and music videos that glorify drug abuse of any kind, including
sanctioning people that share such videos on social media. |
| Keywords: |
: Gae, Caricature song, WhatsApp, Influence, Hemp smokers
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