Acclaimed musicians Martín Perna (Antibalas, Ocote Soul Sounds), Gangbe Brass, several members of Antibalas, and UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador Angélique Kidjo have participated in the recording of a song to support the Kids Against Malaria initiative. The message of the song is pretty basic: sleep under an insecticide treated mosquito net and get to a medical provider as soon as you’re feeling sick.
The Kids Against Malaria effort started with a song written by teacher Sim D’Souza and his students at an arts and music elementary school in Whydah (Oidah), Benin, called CIAMO. The song reached musician and filmmaker Jon Fine, who produced the song by enlisting the support of renowned Afrobeat and world music artists.
The video is available here:
trailer-kids-against-malaria-english/
The “Kids Against Malaria” project was launched. It’s a multi-language musical project focusing on malaria treatment and prevention. With the international team, the producers filmed and recorded in New York City and Benin with support from the United States Embassy in Benin, UNICEF, The President’s Malaria Initiative, USAID, Peace Corps, the CDC, The UN Foundation and Harvard University.
Malaria is still widespread in much of the world. About 3.2 billion people – nearly half the planet’s population – are at risk. The disease, spread by the bite of female mosquitoes infected with Plasmodium parasites, is generally deadly for pregnant women and children under the age of five. It’s estimated that 1,200 children a day are dying from malaria around the world. Malaria is both preventable and curable.
All the proceeds from downloads, music videos, ringtones, educational videos, and social media initiatives, earned from the song will benefit CIAMO School of Music (for arts education), The UN Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign (to purchase nets) and Harvard University’s Defeating Malaria: From the Genes to the Globe initiative (for Malaria research).
For more on information about the Kids Against Malaria project, visit Kidsagainstmalaria.com.
Author: Angel Romero
Angel Romero y Ruiz has dedicated his life to musical exploration. His efforts included the creation of two online portals, worldmusiccentral.org and musicasdelmundo.com. In addition, Angel is the co-founder of the Transglobal World Music Chart, a panel of world music DJs and writers that celebrates global sounds. Furthermore, he delved into the record business, producing world music studio albums and compilations. His works have appeared on Alula Records, Ellipsis Arts, Indígena Records and Music of the World.
