Musicians in hiding
The threats on their lives still stands, even after the election campaign is over. In a country where freedom of expression is a contentious issue, these musicians have had no other option but to take the threat of these statements seriously and go underground. They fear for their lives.

It is only five years ago Sierra Leone emerged from a brutal conflict that saw thousands killed and many others with their limbs cut off in a terror-campaign of mutilation. The memory of violence and easy access to weapons is still an issue to be dealt with.

Producing a song for a political party became a turning point in their careers as musicians, and not necessarily a positive one. At this point we are still waiting for the results of the election, and the future and safety of these musicians could depend on which political party turns out to be the winner.


Musicalisation of politics
The way the presidential and parliamentary elections were conducted in Sierra Leone on 11 August 2007 were hailed by both local and international observers as positive. It stands clear that an important ingredient which helped this positive outcome was music. The political process in Sierra Leone is said to have benefited enormously by the influence of songs by various music artists.

In a recent press conference the head of the electoral commission Christiana Thorpe joked openly: “I like music!”

Live music during the political campaign rallies was used rampantly by the various contesting parties, and the sound of music turned out to be an effective way to gather large crowds on the streets.

An initiative supported by the United Nations entitled ‘Artists for Peace’ showcased popular musicians such as Wahid, Daddy Ish, Cee Jay, Velma and Camouflage at socalled ‘peace rallies’, held at several locations in Freetown, and in the provinces in Makeni, Bo, Kenema and Kono.

The Awoko Newspaper called it “the musicalisation of Sierra Leone politics”, and during the entire presidential election campaign period it dedicated a special column to issues relating to music in politics. Another newspaper, the Standard Times, took similar measures. People in general may not have considered this of great importance but for the musicians it made a significant difference. It gave them a sense of that their talents were being appreciated.


Dilemma for the musicians
Meanwhile, within the music industry and among their fans, the various artists and composers who had not involved themselves directly in the political process, but whose songs had been used by one of the various political parties, found that they might have stained their reputation, allowing their art to be misused by the very people they had critisised for bad governance and other forms of restriction of freedom.

The invitation to direct involvement – and in some cases luring – of musicians to write and sing songs for various political parties created a dilemma for those musicians whose admirers were of both sides of the political spectrum.

To some musicians of Sierra Leone, “the musicalisation of politics” has turned out to be a threat to their livelihood and survival as musicians. It is yet to be seen how far the various political parties and their supporters will be ready to dance to the tunes of these musicians for who ever that wins the presidential race.


The results for the Sierra Leone presidential elections was that APC got 44 percent of the votes while SLPP got 38 percent, and the rest of the parties shared the last 18 percent. The final presidential run-off between the APC and the SLPP will be held on 8 September 2007.