We choose to see no evil: John Pombe Magufuli, the nationalist who championed the sovereignty of his country

Abstract

This study sought to account for meaning construction in the blend of the conceptual metaphors found in the two songs sung by Bongo artists Harmonize and Rayvanny; identify the similarities in the political leadership qualities of President Thomas I. Sankara and John P. Magufuli and to discuss the lessons African leaders can learn from the strategic leadership styles of the two former African Statesmen. The study used the Conceptual Integration theory established by Fauconnier and Turner (2002) to analyze the data. A descriptive research design was employed and the data was analyzed qualitatively. Findings reveal that metaphors portray political leaders as larger-than-life individuals who are capable of providing solutions to myriad problems that bedevil their countries. The two former African presidents championed the sovereignty of their countries and defended the citizens against neo-colonialism and exploitation by foreigners. Keywords: corruption, development, metaphors, nationalism, Pan-Africanism