MUSIC AND IT'S ROLE IN THE ELECTORAL PROCESS OF ZAMBIA

Abstract

The purpose of the study was to assess music and its role in the electoral process of Zambia. The study adopted a qualitative design using an open ended questionnaire, a focus group discussion guide and an interview guide on a sample of 170 respondents. Purposive sampling procedure was used to identify musicians who were employed by politicians belonging the Patriotic Front (PF) and the United Party for National Development (UPND). Data was analyzed according to themes that emerged in line with the research questions. Responses were grouped and a detailed interpretation was given in line with the main research question. The findings were that well composed political music had a huge influence on the candidate people voted for as music helped to pull the crowd, sell candidates and their manifestos, empower and educated the learners and substituted public rallies in unbreakable to reach areas. The other finding was that popularity of the musicians used added value to the politicians on stage. This helped the politicians to talk little since many words were in the songs performed before the stage and or on radio. The study also unearthed that politicians and musicians used Bemba, Nyanja and English in their political music as these were the three widely spoken languages in the country. The study recommends that: politicians should not use music as a conveyer of propaganda, but should continue informing the nation on the development and failures encountered in the nation throughout the term of rule; voters should compare what they hear from the music with the reality on the ground so that they are able to cast a vote from an informed and practical decision.; musicians should stand their ground of informing, entertaining and educating and be in a position to refuse to be used as tools for spreading propaganda and ridicule of one person for the sake of another person; and that more regional languages have to be used in order to promote the one Zambia one nation slogan despite Bemba, Nyanja and English being the widely used languages.