Browsing by Author "Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba"

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Constructivist Referents in Oumar Farouk Sesay’s ‘The Song of the Women of My Land’
(Lancang Kuning University, 2023-08-02) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
The purpose of the research was to examine the constructivist referents in Oumar Farouk Sesay’s poem ‘The Song of the Women of My Land’. This required an analysis and understanding of the referents (terms that clearly and indirectly refer to persons, things or events) and whether the referents were used in the poem to express grief by women. The research questions were as follows: a) Does the poet use referents that suggest the death of traditions that celebrate old women, song bards, and songs from the past more than any other word? b) Is the poet more likely to employ poetic allusions to indicate negative constructivism? and c) Is the poem’s use of prosodic features related to the message? This study used computational and content analysis methods, which incorporate a careful poetry-reading critical approach, to identify and calculate constructivist referents. The referents were then manually broad-coded to include whole lines and verses. The exact words, phrases, and sentences related to the topic were coded and their frequency was determined. These were calculated by counting the number of times a referent appeared. The themes were then selected and interpreted, with a focus on relating them to the poem’s constructivist viewpoint. Finally, the main prosodic elements of the poem, as well as the referents that create them, were established. The results show that most referents by African poets are used to emphasise that traditional culture is dying and that the referents romanticise the fleeting nature of beauty in poetry and the pacifying effects of rural pastimes.
Folk media: Existence, forms, uses and challenges in Mende indigenous communities of Southern Sierra Leone
(2022-09-16) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
The study examined the folk media: existence, forms, uses and challenges in the Mende indigenous communities of Southern Sierra Leone. A mixed methods research design of 120 participants was developed, selected from 3 communities with 40 participants in each community. The mixed approach used both quantitative and qualitative research designs in the study. The interviews were initially conducted using interview questions related to the existence of folk media, its use and the challenges it faced in the study area. Three focus group discussions were held in 3 communities, randomly selected on the outskirts of the Southern part of Sierra Leone. A quantitative research approach helped analyse simple statistical data collected by the researchers. The findings revealed that folk media exist in the Mende communities studied; and that the use of Mende folk media is fraught with major challenges. The findings also revealed that the use of Mende folk media is rare in indigenous Mende communities which is a major challenge in preserving the practices and their uses in the selected communities. The findings also showed that Mende folk media play an important role in disseminating social, religious, and cultural information, including being used in ceremonies such, as litigation, court hearings, singing and storytelling sessions, naming, weddings and political campaigns, and funerals. The findings also revealed that traditional Mende media are mainly used by the nominees of Paramount Chiefs, the community griots, the heads of the tribal and secret societies and volunteers.
Ideology in Thompson’s, Kailey’s, and Robin-Coker’s collections of poems: A psychoanalytical exploration
(Islamic University of Malang, 2023-12-30) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
This study employed psychoanalytic theory to delve into the ways Sierra Leonean poets Celia Eva Beatrice Thompson, Princess Mildred Kailey, and Kayode Adesimi Robin-Coker explored themes of despair, lust, and loss in their poetry. Addressing a notable gap in literary criticism, especially regarding Sierra Leonean authors, the research sought to raise the international stature of African writers and support students facing challenges with poetry in West African public exams. Employing psychoanalytic principles, the study uncovered deeper meanings behind the unconscious drives and emotions in these poets' works. It involved analyzing the occurrence of themes, detecting psychoanalytically significant lines and phrases, and identifying central themes and literary techniques used to express complex emotions. The analysis, which combined thematic and literary analysis, focused on the language, themes, and use of figurative language, diction, and other poetic devices in Thompson's 23, Kailey's 41, and Robin-Coker's 20 poems. This approach highlighted their distinct ways of depicting despair, lust, and loss. By integrating thematic analysis, the study offered a more profound comprehension of each poet's style. Ultimately, this psychoanalytic exploration aimed to enhance critical interpretation skills and helped in understanding the deeper psychological aspects of Sierra Leonean and other African poetry.
Music is Culture, But is Technology?
(Morgan & Claypool Publishers, 2024) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
Popular public perception of witchcraft practices, witchcraft wealth, recruitment and herbalism in Bo City Southern Sierra Leone
(2022-11-03) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
The study examined popular public perception and witchcraft practices in Bo City in the Southern Province of Sierra Leone. Specifically, public perception regarding the principles of witchcraft practices, witchcraft wealth, recruitment/initiation process and inheritance were examined. Exploratory and anthropological research designs were used. Through a structured questionnaire, data were collected from a sample of 150 participants involving 50 individuals each from the three main ethnic groups in Sierra Leone; Mende, Temne and Limba. The researchers first got close to community members from an emic perspective, then held discussions and interviews in the communities based on age, status, gender, and other factors that reflected the differences within the various communities. The findings revealed that the majority (76%) agreed that witchcraft can be acquired through family lineage, with 60% of such recruitment initiated by stepmothers/fathers 62%, and that 66% of respondents agreed that herbalists primarily draw from witchcraft practices to cure sick people. It was concluded that witchcraft recruitment mainly occurs within families and that herbalists primarily draw from witchcraft practices to cure sick people in Bo City.
Popular Traditional Musicians of Sierra Leone and Their Signature Instruments: The Case of Denkena and Ordulay from Northern Sierra Leone
(2026-01-31) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
The study examines the instruments used by indigenous musicians in Sierra Leone: particularly those employed in Denkena and Ordulay performances in the North as distinct Sierra Leonean cultural instruments in terms of their production and use. Despite the impact of globalisation and Western technology on Sierra Leonean traditions, indigenous musicians continue to craft and play instruments within a distinctive cultural context. The objectives of the study were to a) identify the different numbers of players in their ensembles and the various numbers of instruments in Denkena and Ordulay’s performances; b) compare and contrast the musical instruments used by the two musicians in their performances; and c) assess whether the two musicians incorporate Western-style instruments to enhance their vocalisation. The study tested three null hypotheses using the Kruskal-Wallis Test: H01: The ensemble sizes and the number of instruments were the same in Denkena’s and Ordulay’s performances. H02: The musical instruments used in Denkena’s and Ordulay’s performances were the same. H03: The Western-style instruments incorporated by Denkena and Ordulay to enhance their vocalisation during their performances were identical. The researchers analysed a list of musical instruments used by the two indigenous musicians in their performances, categorising them by type and nature. They compared and contrasted these using straightforward computational, linguistic, and anthropological methods to uncover cultural and philosophical meanings. The data show that the musicians use similar musical instruments but with some differences. Both also incorporate some distinct Western-style instruments to enhance their vocal performances, though only to a limited degree.
The Rate of Reading Poverty After the COVID-19 Pandemic School Shutdown and Specific Intervention Strategies for Lower Primary School Pupils in the Southern Province and Western Area of Sierra Leone
(Academy Publication, 2022-07-01) Thulla, Philip Foday Yamba
The study investigates the rate of reading poverty after the COVID-19 pandemic school shutdown and specific intervention strategies for lower primary school pupils in the southern province and western area of Sierra Leone. Randomised experiments of mixed-methods reading interventions for 100 struggling readers in class 5 and 20 English teachers selected from 10 primary schools (5 in the south and 5 in the Western Area) were carried out. The rate of reading poverty and proficiency was first determined in the selected classes using the Access Center method of reading assessment. Two intervention strategies were administered, and the scores for each intervention strategy were measured and compared. The findings reveal that over 70% of the pupils tested in reading in the south mispronounced or skipped five or more words when reading. The overall scores for pupils in the Western Area were relatively lower (a majority scoring less than 30%). The READ 180 reading intervention strategy is recommended to be introduced as the preferred teaching method at the pre-primary and primary school levels in Sierra Leone because of its proven potentiality to increase reading proficiency more than the popular Direct-teaching Model.