POLITICAL SONGS AND ELECTIONS IN GHANA’S FOURTH REPUBLIC, 1992 – 2020

Abstract

The Fourth Republic marked the return of multi-party democracy in Ghana. Since 1992, multi-party elections have consolidated Ghana’s democratic credentials within the global political landscape. Interestingly, the successes of these elections have described Ghana as a beacon of democracy in Africa. These success stories emanated from diverse factors such as available written constitution, independent Electoral Commission, citizenship participation, political party activism, finance, and rigorous campaign strategies. However, one major factor that has contributed tremendously to the success of Ghana’s elections is the role of political songs. Songs have played quintessential roles in sustaining and consolidating Ghana’s democracy. Since 1992, musicians have composed songs to support various political parties, which have been used extensively as campaign tools in Ghana’s Fourth Republic. Using the qualitative approach, this study investigates the relevance of political songs in sustaining Ghana’s elections. The study finds that since 1992, several political songs have been composed to support the efforts of election campaigns in Ghana, with the years 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 witnessing the peak of these political songs. The study also finds that political songs have played crucial roles in sustaining Ghana’s elections in political education, criticising aspirants, canvassing for votes, expressing issues of party achievements, and promoting peace and unity, among others. The study concludes that political songs have taken centre stage in the three decades of democratic practice in Ghana’s Fourth Republic.