Zambian musicians go political

Musicians in Zambia appear to be cashing in on Thursday’s elections in the country.

Singer Kachanana has thrown her weight behind president Edgar Lungu ahead of the presidential and parliamentary poll to be held on Thursday August 11.

President Lungu faces opposition strongman Hakainde Hichilema in another close contest after last year’s neck and neck race.

Lungu has been at the helm of affairs after winning elections in January 2015 following the death of his predecessor Michael Sata in October 2014.

“I gravitated towards one political party that I felt had what it took to lead the nation further. So of course I have some fans that are not happy with that and they will come on your Facebook, they will come on your social media pages and they will let you know that they are not happy and there are others who are happy to see that you have taken some kind of a stance. As an artist, I feel like we shouldn’t be neutral, we should have a stance,” Zambian singer, Kachanana said.

Civil society organisations however say Zambian musicians have failed in their duty to unite citizens during this election period.

The operation young vote civil society group has been one of the most vocal critics of the musicians.

“We feel that it is time musicians stood up and owned up, I know they need to make money from these politicians, but they should look at… is it going to contribute to the well-being of citizens out there,” Bwalya Katongo, Programmes Coordinator of Operation Young Vote said. Some Zambian artists complain that few live performances are organised during the elections.

Club owners or those who organise live shows are somehow involved in the elections pushing artists to make money through endorsements or live performances.