Ghanaian musician and media personality Mzbel says openly declaring her support for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) cost her a significant portion of her fan base and led to her being dropped from several local and international events.
The musician, born Berlinda Nana Ekua Amoah, disclosed that she lost about half of her fans after making her political allegiance public, with the fallout extending beyond her audience to some of the events and platforms where she had previously performed.
Speaking on NHM, Mzbel said she was removed from the line-up of several shows, in some cases after promotional materials featuring her had already been released.
According to her, some organisers withdrew her from events because high-profile guests associated with opposing political parties did not want to share a platform with her.
Mzbel cited an incident at the Movenpick Hotel in Accra, where she said she was removed from a show just days before the event because the guest of honour was a senior figure associated with the New Patriotic Party (NPP).
“I lost half of my fan base after declaring my support for NDC,” she said.
The musician said the backlash was not limited to supporters of other political parties. She also expressed disappointment with some members of the NDC, alleging that she faced verbal and physical attacks from within the party despite expecting support after publicly backing it.
She further claimed that she was effectively blacklisted from some events she had regularly performed at because they were organised by people affiliated with the NPP.
Mzbel said the experience had taken a toll on both her career and personal life, ultimately leading her to conclude that openly mixing her entertainment career with partisan politics had caused her more harm than good.
“It did more harm than good,” she said, adding that the experience had taught her a lesson.
Mzbel is a Ghanaian hiplife artiste, media personality and entrepreneur, and the Chief Executive Officer of Mzbel Music. She was born on December 26, 1979, in Accra, the youngest of seven children of engineer Albert A. Amoah and the late Agnes Nyarko. She grew up in James Town and Mallam.
Her experience emphasises the potential professional consequences public figures can face when their political affiliations become closely associated with their careers in Ghana’s highly polarised political environment.
Story by Emmanuella Adofo Quaye
