This study sheds light on how music influences the political landscape in Ethiopia; namely if music can influence the current political landscape positively.

For this purpose, it discusses the political impact of music in Ethiopia through examining three related realities in the Ethiopian society, in this study described as three intertwined circumstances, i.e. conditions influencing music’s ability to effect the political landscape and contribute to change. They include the strong influence of musical lyrics and messages in the country; the importance of sound public infrastructures and regulatory frameworks to maintain artistic independence and freedom of expression; and the importance of accessible social media, as a means to spread musical messages and distribute music in an autocratic society with poor public infrastructures.

The analytical approach combines different forms of methods and sources, which stems from the fact that music and lyrics can act as a symbol in Ethiopia. Nevertheless, for music to be given its full potential certain democratic regulatory frameworks and public infrastructures are required to sustain artistic independence and guide social media activities. To achieve this, a semiotic framework is used to establish that music and lyrics carries meaning and belonging. The assessment of the regulatory frameworks and public infrastructures builds foremost on academic articles and reports. However, since genuine information about public institutional foundations is scarce in a society strongly characterized by an autocratic regime, this study in addition to primary and secondary sources draws on first-hand testimonies to examine how music can influence the political landscape in Ethiopia. 

The study concludes that as long as artistic freedom and independence is not safeguarded through established democratic frameworks and public infrastructures, music will not fully be able to influence the political climate positively and contribute to change, no matter how well music acts as a symbol of belonging in Ethiopia. Consequently, there is a real risk for a continuation of censorship, exploitation and political control of music in the country.