Do political campaign songs composed by musicians have any impact on elections?

GhanaWeb feature by: Benjamin Sackey

During elections, some musicians compose songs for various political parties to be used for campaign activities in their bid to win over voters.

Examples include Daddy Lumba's 'Nana Y3 Winner' for President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo and Diana Asamoah's 'Meba Dofo' during the 2020 elections.

Nacee's 'Onaapo' for former President John Dramani Mahama and Shatta Wale's 'Mahama Paper' are also notable examples.

This feature engages political and branding experts to assess the influence of these songs on voter decisions.

GhanaWeb’s Benjamin Sackey discussed this with University of Ghana lecturer Prof. Kobby Mensah, a political marketing expert.

The lecturer, who is also an expert in political marketing, believes campaign songs impact elections by touching emotions and drawing people closer to their parties, potentially influencing voting patterns.

“They have an impact because, first of all, they differentiate the political parties. If you listen to the song by Joel Ackah for the NDC, it has become an anthem for the party that everyone recognizes. Similarly, Lumba’s song for Akufo-Addo draws attention to the person.

"So, these songs differentiate the parties. The messages in the songs also draw political party members closer to the party. Ackah’s song focuses on the party’s camaraderie, their past, revolution, and touches the emotions of people, so clearly it has an impact,” Prof. Mensah told GhanaWeb.

Additionally, Marketing lecturer Mustapha Iddrisu from the University of Professional Studies (UPSA) agrees that political songs garner support during elections.

Iddrisu noted that musicians' fan bases influence voting patterns, recalling the musical influence in Tamale during the 1979 elections.

“People love music, they love to listen to good songs. So, political parties having musicians compose songs for them did not start today. I still remember as a kid growing up in Tamale, during the 1979 elections, that it was the music of the political parties that moved the people.

"And because political parties always want to attract a crowd, they definitely need music to draw people closer to them,” he told Benjamin Sackey during the interview.

Experts suggest that musicians' songs for political parties indeed impact elections and can alter outcomes, making them essential.

Watch videos of some of the songs below: