Liberia uses music to fight ebola that has claimed over 2,400 lives in Liberia alone. Writing a song about the deadly virus may not sound like the most appealing topic, but it serves a strong purpose — to educate.
The United Nation’s Children’s Fund has worked with loca musicians to create “Ebola is Real,” which explains how Liberians can prevent the spread of the disease.
Helpful lines like: “Ebola is real, It’s time to protect yourself, Ebola is real, protect your family, Ebola is real, protect your community.”
While other lines are more instructional, “For our traditional people, when somebody die, don’t touch the body with your bare hands — you can call a health worker closer to you to help you to bury the body but wearing protective clothes and gloves.”
It may sound too obvious and but it is extremely important for this simple message to spread. Music just happens to be one of the best ways. UNICEF spokesman Christophe Boulierac explains music is “an integral part of life” in Liberia. “Everything from elections to polio campaigns have used songs. We used songs as a medium of getting out the information to a wide segment of the population, through the best medium available in Liberia — radio.”
Sounds like a pretty great idea, and the best part, it is actually extremely popular. Boulierac even claims that “some people even use it as a ring tone.” Listen to the track below and you can be the judge.
What do you think about this creative way to spread meaningful information that could save lives? Did you know music can help with many health issues like back issues, Parkinson’s Disease, and it helps veterans recover from war.
