This and That

Arts and electioneering

Good people, electoral campaign emphasises on music, drama, poetry and all that jazz at eye level.

Such jazz was apparent at the launch of Peoples Party (PP) campaign in Lilongwe last week.

Predictably, reports show that the ruling party ‘shook Lilongwe’. It’s that season even the filthiest looters in politics spit all the niceties just to earn our vote!

But it was the Black Missionaries, Joseph Nkasa, Thoko Katimba as well as Symon and Kendall who literally left the orange humanity dancing to the sweetness of the so-called dirty game in the capital.

This is not the first time artists were sprucing up a political event. History shows this has political cheerleading has been a staple since 1993 when the late Du Chisiza Jnr sang in support for Malawi Congress Party’s one-party rule which allegedly ‘accidentalised’ his famous father Dunduzu.

But wait a minute.

As the campaign tunes are taking over the airwaves it is not uncommon to hear locals accusing the artists of taking political sides and propaganda studies affirm that politicians, being service providers, are always restless until they hook the right calibre of celebrity to endorse their agenda.

So every time the artists are seen tangoing with political sides, they are subtly saying; “We are this side because it’s cool.”

Taking sides is not bad, for democracy is a world of choices where sitting on the fence is apathy.

But, one question rings loud and clear as the artists are shouting and deafening themselves with all that political jazz: Are politicians doing enough to promote the arts? Are the arts really at the heart of the earth-quaking campaign? When will the artists stop standing up for politicians’ interests and get back to fighting/campaigning for issues affecting their enterprise?

Unless these questions are answered convincingly, another artist will come back crying: “They just used us like a condom.”

This is why I find sense in what Skeffa Chimoto did in Mzuzu last weekend: Rather than singing for politicians’ sake, the jamming machine invested all his energy in preaching tolerance, peace and unity ahead of May 20 Polls.

It’s a decent choice.

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