Politicians get hip with rap, roadshows

“HEY, Bra Gazza….It’s me Sam Nujoma.Your number one outie …,” gushes the Namibian President in typical Katutura lingo that defies the profile of a grizzled traditionalist.

Nujoma is apparently chatting to one of Namibia’s popular musicians, but has to be hip to hit a note with the youngster and people like him. The conversation is part of a song on a rap and Kwaito genre music CD that a Swapo company has released to coincide with the elections.Not to be outdone, the DTA’s presidential candidate has hit the campaign trail American-style with a “road bus”.The Congress of Democrats (CoD), as happened in by-elections earlier this year, will again put up stalls at industrial venues, such as show centres and shopping malls, to get “directly” to voters.It’s election time and politicians are again bending over backwards to win the souls of voters.Five years ago, the Congress of Democrats (CoD) took advantage of the momentum of being the baby of Namibian politics, launching a website to project the image of being modern.Other parties have since followed suit.Increasingly, political parties are being forced to think “out of the box” in order to woo voters.Star rallies “are an instrument of times bygone”, says Tsudao Gurirab, Chairman of the CoD, but remain useful because of their mob psychology effect; the DTA days of boerewors and broetchens appear to be numbered, though.All parties seem to have embraced cooking for the masses who attend rallies; megaphones mounted on cars driving around dusty township streets have all but disappeared.Enter targeted advertising, such as the music CD about Swapo in which Nujoma and the ruling party’s Presidential candidate, Hifikepunye Pohamba, urge the youth to vote, using slang that will reach first-time voters quickly.At the root of the music disc, entitled Omaleiti O’Swapo [Swapo’s kids], is nothing but Swapo propaganda.But the producer of the songs, John Nangombe Walenga, Manager for the Swapo company Zebra Holdings and an executive of the Swapo Youth League, insists that it is money talking.”As far as I’m concerned, Zebra Holdings only looked at the commercial side of the elections.Our intention is to look at the commercial side of elections just like newspapers will sell more from some headlines during the elections, or printing companies and t-shirt-producing companies.”That the CD is for sale was an indication of the commitment to business, says Walenga, adding that he did not want “to compromise on the quality and the design” of the songs.Indeed, unlike the ANC’s music CD five years ago on which South African President Thabo Mbeki’s political language was woven into a remake of a popular Brenda Fassie song, Nujoma and Pohamba appeared to have been roped into the studio to literally mingle with the youngsters.”Hollow! Give me some volume,” says Pohamba on the first song.But it is Nujoma’s charisma that blends in smoothly: “Hey, Pohamba …”CoD’s Tsudao Gurirab says using music is nothing new to Namibian politics, referring to a time in 1989 when he was part of Swapo’s mobilisation team under Hidipo Hamutenya and music was used extensively.But, says The Namibian’s Augetto Graig in a forthcoming review of the CD:”Politics has made its entry into the virgin local sounds Namibian youth have come to claim ownership of.”Gurirab scoffed at the Kwaito and rap music as an effective idea of getting youths to the polls.Instead, he said, young people might go to the rallies to listen to the music and accuses Swapo of getting school kids to go to Pohamba’s rally at Gibeon on the pretext of “seeing the new President”.The CoD, he says, will be concentrating on “walkabouts and door-to-door” campaigning.DTA Secretary General McHenry Venaani said Kaura’s US-style road bus office is designed to provide easier access to their campaign.Other parties, such as the cash-strapped UDF, will be playing catch-up.”You caught me off-guard.You are giving me some food for thought,” said Chief Justus Garoeb when asked what innovative campaign strategy his party had in mind.The conversation is part of a song on a rap and Kwaito genre music CD that a Swapo company has released to coincide with the elections.Not to be outdone, the DTA’s presidential candidate has hit the campaign trail American-style with a “road bus”.The Congress of Democrats (CoD), as happened in by-elections earlier this year, will again put up stalls at industrial venues, such as show centres and shopping malls, to get “directly” to voters.It’s election time and politicians are again bending over backwards to win the souls of voters.Five years ago, the Congress of Democrats (CoD) took advantage of the momentum of being the baby of Namibian politics, launching a website to project the image of being modern.Other parties have since followed suit.Increasingly, political parties are being forced to think “out of the box” in order to woo voters.Star rallies “are an instrument of times bygone”, says Tsudao Gurirab, Chairman of the CoD, but remain useful because of their mob psychology effect; the DTA days of boerewors and broetchens appear to be numbered, though.All parties seem to have embraced cooking for the masses who attend rallies; megaphones mounted on cars driving around dusty township streets have all but disappeared.Enter targeted advertising, such as the music CD about Swapo in which Nujoma and the ruling party’s Presidential candidate, Hifikepunye Pohamba, urge the youth to vote, using slang that will reach first-time voters quickly.At the root of the music disc, entitled Omaleiti O’Swapo [Swapo’s kids], is nothing but Swapo propaganda.But the producer of the songs, John Nangombe Walenga, Manager for the Swapo company Zebra Holdings and an executive of the Swapo Youth League, insists that it is money talking.”As far as I’m concerned, Zebra Holdings only looked at the commercial side of the elections.Our intention is to look at the commercial side of elections just like newspapers will sell more from some headlines during the elections, or printing companies and t-shirt-producing companies.”That the CD is for sale was an indication of the commitment to business, says Walenga, adding that he did not want “to compromise on the quality and the design” of the songs.Indeed, unlike the ANC’s music CD five years ago on which South African President Thabo Mbeki’s political language was woven into a remake of a popular Brenda Fassie song, Nujoma and Pohamba appeared to have been roped into the studio to literally mingle with the youngsters.”Hollow! Give me some volume,” says Pohamba on the first song.But it is Nujoma’s charisma that blends in smoothly: “Hey, Pohamba …”CoD’s Tsudao Gurirab says using music is nothing new to Namibian politics, referring to a time in 1989 when he was part of Swapo’s mobilisation team under Hidipo Hamutenya and music was used extensively.But, says The Namibian’s Augetto Graig in a forthcoming review of the CD:”Politics has made its entry into the virgin local sounds Namibian youth have come to claim ownership of.”Gurirab scoffed at the Kwaito and rap music as an effective idea of getting youths to the polls.Instead, he said, young people might go to the rallies to listen to the music and accuses Swapo of getting school kids to go to Pohamba’s rally at Gibeon on the pretext of “seeing the new President”.The CoD, he says, will be concentrating on “walkabouts and door-to-door” campaigning.DTA Secretary General McHenry Venaani said Kaura’s US-style road bus office is designed to provide easier access to their campaign.Other parties, such as the cash-strapped UDF, will be playing catch-up.”You caught me off-guard.You are giving me some food for thought,” said Chief Justus Garoeb when asked what innovative campaign strategy his party had in mind.