The Madando Rhetoric: Musical Critiques of Electoral Management in Malawi

'Madando' is a term that anyone who voted in the 2019 tripartite elections in Malawi should be familiar with, mainly due to the one person who has since become associated with the use of the term. It is a term that calls to mind the mismanagement of the elections and the subsequent successful challenge mounted by opposition parties. Crucially, songs on the fraudulent elections have been produced in the country, offering rich creative critiques of the election process. The current article explores how, ever since the 2019 elections, a specific individual, Dr Jane Ansah, has been used to personify the mismanagement of the elections, and how this has been reflected in musical productions. The central position of the article is that the music acts as a fresh form of expressing political discontent, complementing other existing forms of protest and voicing criticism of this individual. The article traces three trajectories of criticism reflected in the music, based on gender, religious faith and patriotism.