HARARE - As Zimbabweans brace themselves for a possible general election next year, the major political parties have turned to music for their campaigns.

The country’s biggest opposition political party, Movement for Democratic Change, (MDC-T) recently released its music album entitled: Real Change.

The five track album was officially launched  recently by MDC-T President and Zimbabwe’s Prime Minister, Morgan Tsvangirai.

During the launch there were poems, special messages and solidarity messages to remember 300 party activists and supporters killed since the party’s formation in 1999.

Nelson Chamisa, the MDC spokesperson, told the Daily News that his party had distributed 50 000 copies of the album throughout the country.

“You can hear it everywhere, in buses, in kombi taxies and most public places. We are spreading the word through music,” Chamisa said.

He said while all went well with the launch, their biggest challenge was to have it  played at the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation (ZBC).
“ZBC are allergic to MDC-T; but I am sure with time they might be forced to play it.”

Chamisa said the album was celebrating the party's successes as they fought to bring real change to Zimbabweans.

“The songs on the album are about our struggle  to build  a new Zimbabwe. The album depicts the future and celebrates the past road which has been very difficult.”

Other songs on Real Change, include Team Hombe and its Ndebele version titled Team Enkulu and Magamba Eshanduko.

Chamisa said the MDC had better music productions whose lyrics were not abusive but ZBC continued to deny them air play.

“Since 2008 we have been producing music but the ZBC does not give our music airplay;we have used other multimedia communication devices, like Internet, where the songs can be downloaded from our party website.”

Pro-MDC-T music albums released so far include Chinja Maitiro that includes songs like Tsunami, Dhiziri PaChinhoyi and Rueben, Tiriparwendo na Morgan comprising eight songs, Paul Madzore’s three albums - Chirangano, Tinovarangarira and Tora Uta Hwangu and Francis Chikunguru’s Mumwe Mukana, a Tsunami Production, South Africa.

Chamisa said. “Why can’t ZBC give people a choice? Zanu PF launched its own album that is receiving massive air play on ZBC. We know how people at the station react to our releases. There is a lot of politics at play here.”

The Ministry of Media, Information and Publicity this year sponsored a pro-Zanu (PF) eight-track music compilation album by Mbare Chimurenga choir entitled Nyatsoterera, Shona for "listen carefully”.

Elizabeth Bwanya is the leader of the all-female Mbare Chimurenga Choir outfit and is also the Zanu (PF) district secretary for women's affairs.

The album comprises songs that encourage Zimbabweans to rally behind President Mugabe and denounce  the MDC-T party.

One of the songs on the album Ndikusetere team (setting the team) speaks of setting up a team-ostensibly a political team, fielding Mugabe at the top, followed by Vice President Joice Mujuru and vice president  John Nkomo in third position. This trio, according to the song, is the team that rules Zimbabwe.

Upon its release, Information and Publicity Minister and Zanu (PF) political commissar Webster Shamu is alleged to have ordered all ZBC four Radio stations’ Disc Jockeys and the two television channels to play the album. The minister is alleged to have personally handed the CDs and ordered the DJs to play at least two songs per hour per shift.

The album’s massive domination on radio and television led to an outcry by listeners who blamed ZBC for not giving them a choice.

ZBC has a standing policy not to play music from any other opposition political party.

The songs which appeared to belittle Tsvangirai while viewing Mugabe as the supreme leader were played on state radio and television every thirty minutes.

By Daily Mail