RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Discourses of Love and Newspapers Advice Columns in Ghana
JF Ghana Studies
JO Gha Stu
FD University of Wisconsin Press
SP 413
OP 465
DO 10.3368/gs.15-16.1.413
VO 15-16
IS 1
A1 Fair, Jo Ellen
YR 2014
UL https://gs.uwpress.org/gs.uwpress.org/content/15-16/1/413.abstract
AB Advice columns have animated Ghanaian newspapers since colonial times; interest in them shows no sign of abating. The dilemmas of courtship, love, sex, commitment, and marriage, vex Ghanaians just as they do people everywhere. Newspaper advice columns are a place for instruction and amusement regarding Ghana-specific variations on these dilemmas. Interviews columnists suggest that the Ghanaian press relies on the columns and similar “soft content” to stay relevant and vibrant. The content of columns supports the view that tension points in the domestic lives of Ghanaian populations drawn to them include definitions and insecurities about love, the meaning and importance of fidelity and commitment to a partner, and the financial responsibilities and implications attaching to relationships.