Paper short abstract:

Up to the date of elections in Ghana in 2008, the nation saw vast number of music produced to support parties and candidates win the elction. The paper intends to look at how far this music helps in the win and lose of the respective parties and candidates.

Paper long abstract:

The world has come to its fullest realization that, it cannot make do without the use of music. Music has played vital roles in and out of so many of the world's endeavours. From sports; as was witnessed in the just ended FIFA 2010 World Cup held in South Africa to even wars and student-demonstrations.

Up to the build up of the 2008 parliamentary and presidential election in Ghana saw a vast number music and musicians at their very best to make sure their favourite candidate wins the election with the very best they can offer by offering their 'careers' as well as advertising what else they can do apart from being in the studios and on concert stages.

With particular reference to the two strong parties in Ghana therefore the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and National Democratic Congress (NDC), one may lose count of the number of tracks that came out supporting these parties to possibly win the race. Chief Dele Modou, a presidential aspirant in Nigeria attested to the fact that Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo (the flagbearer for the NPP) used music and entertainment in the 2008 election which brought about the different face of politics in Ghana (an interview with Bernard Avleh on citi fm 97.30 Breakfast Show on 4th October, 2010)

The purpose of this research is to access the relevance of these music in the win and lose of the parties in focus consequently the topic;

'MUSIC AND POLITICS'

THE BUILD UP TO THE 2008 GENERAL ELECTIONS IN GHANA