An analysis of pre-recorded street audio adverts in Zimbabwe: A dariro perspective

Abstract

Street vending has become the order of the day in Zimbabwe. Because of the popularity of vending, vendors have come up with various ways of making their goods visible in a highly populated market. Audio advertising is one of the most prominent ways used by vendors to reach their customers. Through an Afrocentric lens of the dariro theory of performance and participation, the study analyses the presentation and usage of discourse in the advertisement of goods by street vendors in the city of Gweru, Zimbabwe, through pre-recorded street audio adverts. The study analyses discourse and makes a critical appraisal of the implications of the discourse to the target audience. Steeped in discourse analysis, the study analyses recorded audio adverts in the context of their power to attract clients. The study establishes that vendors creatively and strategically deploy street audio adverts to attract customers in an environment that is densely populated and marked by stiff competition. The adverts are meant to draw the attention of consumers to the advertised goods. It concludes that using audio adverts conveys messages regarding goods on the market to the target audience, who upon receiving the messages act accordingly, which epitomises dariro.