Television and the Gospel of Entertainment in Ghana

Datos Bibliográficos

ID7100246
AutoresMarleen Witte (0000-0001-6170-021X, Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, autor de correspondencia), Marleen De Witte (Vrije UniversiteitAmsterdamThe Netherlands)
Año2012
Volumen41
Número2
Páginas144-164
Fecha de publicación2012-01-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessNo
TipoARTICLE
RevistaExchange (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0166-2740 • E-ISSN: 1572-543X
EditorialBrill (PUBLISHER • NL)
DOI10.1163/157254312x633233
OpenAlexW2097092863
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas24
Referencias citadas3

Charismatic-Pentecostal ‘media ministries’ have become very successful in Africa’s new media fields. They shape new forms of public religiosity that spill over into various forms of popular culture and resonate with broad audiences. This article explores the emergence of new Pentecostal publics at the intersection of media, religion, and entertainment in Ghana, raising critical questions concerning the relations between these domains. It analyses two different religious television broadcasts: a television ministry by a well-known celebrity pastor and a gospel reality show featuring a preaching competition for youth. It also considers the debates and concerns such programmes evoke locally. The analysis shows that Pentecostalism’s employment of popular media and entertainment styles is an effective source of persuasive power, but also poses challenges with regard to binding people as committed Christians. The blurring of boundaries between religion and entertainment business causes insecurities about the authenticity of religious authority and religious subjectivity

Aesthetics · Art · Charisma · Entertainment · Epistemology · Evangelism · Gospel · Literature · Media studies · Political science · Power (physics · Religiosity · Sociology · Subjectivity · African studies and sociopolitical issues · Anthropological Studies and Insights · Law · Religion, Society, and Development