This paper studies the old Greek children’s radio show Edo Lilipoupoli transmitted from December 1977 to May 1980 by the Third Program of the Greek State Radio. The considerations of this paper result from the examination of the content of the radio show regarding its cultural and social parameters and correlations as a collective media project. The insight gained from this endeavour is significant, particularly due to the common claim among the broadcast listeners and contributors that the children’s radio program Edo Lilipoupoli functioned as a “mirror” of Greek society. The broadcast can be therefore understood as a kind of social snapshot depicting the ideological and identity conflict between the conservative and the progressive voices prevailing in society during that time.
The analytical interest focuses on one specific song, very popular in the context of the radio show, with the title “We are not Zulu”. This approach will include an analysis of the lyrics in connection to their setting, i.e. morphology, harmony, instrumentation as well as the singer’s performance. Within the framework of this music-aesthetic and linguistic analytical point of view, I will try to identify the role and function of humour in the song and pursue an interpretive approach in the context of its sociocultural implications. The conclusions will form an attempt to bring out the point of view of the show’s contributors.
Allamanis, G. I. (2022). Ston Kairo tis Lilipoupolis. I Viografia mias Radiofonikis Ekpompis [In the Time of Lilipoupoli. A Biography of a Radio Show]. Athina: Topos.
Ash, W. (1985). The Way to Write a Radio Drama. London: Elm Tree Books.
Attardo, S. (2001). Humorous Texts: A Semantic and Pragmatic Analysis. Humor Research 6. Berlin, New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Bampiniotis, G. (2005). Lexiko tis Neas Ellinikis Glossas. Me Scholia gia ti Sosti Chrisi ton Lexeon [Dictionary of Modern Greek. With Comments on the Correct Use of Words]. Athina: Kentro Lexikografias.
Barbe, K. (1995). Irony in Context. Amsterdam: John Benjamins.
Bausinger, H. (1999). ‘Märchen’, in Brednich, R. W. (ed.), Enzyklopädie des Märchens. Handwörterbuch zur Historischen und Vergleichenden Erzählforschung, Vol. 9, Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, col. 250-274.
Bella, S. (2015). Pragmatologia. Apo ti Glossiki Epikoinonia sti Glossiki Didaskalia [Pragmatics. From Linguistic Communication to Linguistic Teaching]. Athens: Gutenberg.
Berrendonner, A. (1981). Elements de Pragmatique Linguistique. Paris: Minuit.
Braester, M. (1992). ‘Du ‘signe ironique’ à l’ énoncé ironique’. Semiotica 92 (1/2), pp. 75-86.
Cadenbach, R. (1998). ‘Parodie’, Metzler Sachlexikon Musik. Stuttgart, Weimar: J. B. Metzler.
Christidis, Μ. (1979). ‘Ekei opou yparchei eleftheria!’ [Where there is freedom!]. July 1. Column Tilekritiki. Kathimerini.
Draitser E. A. (1994). Techniques of Satire. The Case of Saltykov-Scedrin. Humor Research 2. Berlin and New York: Mouton de Gruyter.
Gazi, E. (2010). Patris, Thriskeia, Oikogeneia. Istoria enos Synthimatos (1880-1930) [Homeland, Faith, Family. The Story of a Catchphrase (1880-1930)]. Athens: Polis.
Gavriilidou, Z. & Tsakona V. (2004-2005). ‘Oi chioumoristikoi michanismoi sta komiks: Analysi tis seiras istorion tou Asterix’ [Humour mechanisms in comics: Analysis of the Asterix comic series]. Glossologia 16, pp. 145-165.
Giampoura, A. (2014). Die Musik in der Kinderradiosendung „Edo Lilipoupoli“ als Soziopolitischer und Ästhetischer Kommentar. Berlin: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin MA Thesis.
Giampoura, A. (2020). ‘Children’s songs as sociopolitical comment in the Greek radio show Edo Lilipoupoli’, in Mildorf, J. & Verhulst, P. (eds.), Radio Art and Music. Culture, Aesthetics, Politics, Lanham: Lexington Books, pp. 235-253.
Giannakopoulos, I. (2021). ‘Archaiognosia kai Ellinolatria’ [Antiquarianism and Hellenolatry]. Retrieved May 19, 2022 from https://faretra.info/2021/03/06/archaiognosia-kai-ellinolatria-grafei-o-ilias-giannakopoulos/.
Giese D., et al. & Kaden C. & Schrammek B. (2016). Musiksoziologie, Ortsbestimmung, in Lütteken, L. (ed.), MGG Online, Kassel, Stuttgart, New York. Retrieved April 21, 2022 from https://www.mgg-online.com/mgg/stable/28268
Gourgouris, S. (1996). Dream Nation: Enlightenment, Colonization, and the Institution of Modern Greece. Stanford University Press: Stanford, California.
Grice, H. P. (1975). ‘Logic and conversation’, in Cole, P. & Morgan, J. L. (eds.), Syntax and Semantics 3: Speech Acts, New York: Academic Press, pp. 41-58.
Hadjidakis, Μ. (1980). Ta Scholia tou Tritou. Mia Neoelliniki Mythologia [Third Programme’s Comments. A Modern Greek Mythology]. Athina: Exantas.
Highet, G. (1962). The Anatomy of Satire. Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press.
Hutcheon, L. (2000, [1985]). A Theory of Parody. The Teachings of Twentieth-Century Art Forms. Urbana, Chicago: University of Illinois Press.
Jarosz, L. (1992). ‘Constructing the Dark Continent: metaphor as geographic representation of Africa’. Geografiska Annaler. Series B, Human Geography 74 (2), pp. 105-115.
Kaden, C. (2016). ‘Musiksoziologie, Problemfelder, Interaktion, Kommunikation’, in Lütteken, L. (ed.), MGG Online, Kassel, Stuttgart, New York. Retrieved April 21, 2022 from https://www.mgg-online.com/mgg/stable/28268
Kaliambou, M. (2006). Heimat-Glaube-Familie. Wertevermittlung in Griechischen Popularmärchen (1870-1970). Mitsou, M.-E. (ed.) Münchener Schriften zur Neogräzistik, Vol. 3, Neuried: Ars Una.
Konstantinidis, P. (2016). ‘I Tyrannia tis Evropis epi tis Ellinikis Mousikis. O Evrokentrismos ton Antimachomenon Ekdochon tis Ellinikotitas’ [The Tyranny of Europe over Greek Music. The Eurocentrism of the Conflicting Versions of Greekness]. Paper presented at the 8th Interdepartmental Musicological Conference. Megaro Mousikis, Athens, 25-27 November, pp. 336-345. Retrieved March 9, 2022 from http://hellenic-musicology.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/ConfProc2016.pdf
Meyer-Sickendiek, M. (1998). ‘Satire’, in Ueding G. (ed.), Historisches Wörterbuch der Rhetorik, Vol. 8, Tübingen: Max Niemeyer Verlag, col. 447-469.
‘Parodie’ (1982), in Der Musik-Brockhaus, Wiesbaden: Brockhaus; Mainz: Schott, p. 443.
Rose, M. A. (2006). Parodie, Intertextualität, Interbildlichkeit. Bielefeld: Asthesis Verlag.
Rummenhöller, P. (1978). Einführung in die Musiksoziologie. Wilhelmshaven: Heinrichshofen.
Said, Edward W. (1979). Orientalism. New York: Vintage Books. A Division of Random House.
Swift, J. (2004, [1726]). Gulliver’s Travels. London: Collector’s Library.
Tarasti, E. (2012). Semiotics of Classical Music. How Mozart, Brahms and Wagner Talk to Us. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton.
Wehse, R. (2002). ‘Parodie’, in Brednich, R. W. (ed.), Enzyklopädie des Märchens. Handwörterbuch zur Historischen und Vergleichenden Erzählforschung, Vol. 10, Berlin, New York: Walter de Gruyter, col. 577-587.
Wirth, U. (ed.) (2017). Komik. Ein Interdisziplinäres Handbuch. Stuttgart: J.B. Metzler.
Audio-Visual Material
Kypourgos, N. & Maragopoulos, D. & Platonos, L. (1981). Edo Lilipoupoli. Music and Songs from the Children’s Radio Programme. Lyrics by Marianina Kriezi, Orchestra conducted by Manos Hadjidakis. MINOS-EMI AE, 14C 045 711592. CD.
Skevas, G. (2000). ‘O Manos Hadjidakis kai to Trito Programma’ [Manos Hadjidakis and the Third Programme]. Paraskinio. Television Documentary, EΡT1. Retrieved November 13, 2022 from https://archive.ert.gr/68875/
