Pornography in contemporary Angolan music and its influence on children, adolescents and young people

A reflection on the Kuduro, Afro House, Afro Beat, Rap and Trap styles

Abstract

: This essay stems from concerns about the negative impact of pornographic lyrics on the music styles of Kuduro, Afro House, Afrobeat, Rap and Trap, particularly on the behaviour of children, adolescents and young people in Angola. The main purpose of the essay was to critically analyse the explicit and implicit pornographic content in lyrics with pornographic content. The research adopted a qualitative and quantitative (quali-quanti) approach, which was descriptive and exploratory in nature. Data were collected through content analysis of twelve selected songs and the application of a questionnaire survey to 114 participants (65 children, 19 adolescents and 30 young people). The qualitative analyses were guided by Bardin's technique (2011), and the quantitative data were processed using SPSS and Microsoft Excel. The results show that 72% of respondents said they had adopted deviant behaviour influenced by songs with erotic content; 40% identified the Kuduro style as the most associated with pornographic content; 61% recognised that these lyrics reinforce gender stereotypes; and 71% considered messages promoting the hypersexualisation and objectification of women to be negative. It is concluded that the frequent and uncritical consumption of music with sexually explicit content contributes to the normalisation of early eroticisation, negatively influencing the emotional, social and sexual development of young people. It is therefore urgent to promote conscious music education, encourage responsible artistic production, and develop cultural policies that prioritise respect for human rights and human dignity.