Youth Disillusionment in the Malawi 2020 Post-Electoral Campaign Promises Reflected in Selected Popular Songs

This article explores how Malawi's youth express disillusionment through popular music after unfulfilled promises from the 2020 election campaign. When the government failed to deliver on its commitments, young people experienced disappointment, frustration, hopelessness, and despair—emotions that have found voice in a wave of songs tinged with disillusionment. For these young Malawians, popular music serves as a powerful medium for analyzing and critiquing the contemporary issues shaping their society. Drawing on the concept of social realism, this article examines how popular music captures youth disillusionment with broken political promises. The analysis argues that an aging political class, disconnected from future-oriented solutions, intensifies young people's sense of betrayal. Through the lens of Freire's "pedagogy of the oppressed," the article interprets these musical expressions as part of youth struggles for social justice.