Malaria No More American Idol-Style Competition Promotes Malaria Awareness In Senegal

International nonprofit Malaria No More is using music as a compelling way to raise awareness about malaria in Africa. In 2009, Senegalese artist Youssou N'Dour released 'Xeex Sibbiru,' a song that encouraged individuals to take responsibility to fight malaria. Earlier this year, the organization brought together Tanzanian pop stars for Zinduka!, a popular song and campaign that promoted the eradication of malaria in Tanzania.

This summer, Malaria No More extended N'Dour's campaign in Senegal with a nationwide singing competition, known as the Xeex Sibbiru Song Contest. The 'American Idol'-style show featured nine finalists, each singing original songs they had written about malaria. According to Newsweek, the malaria-inspired competition was intended to be a way to find a Senegalese performer that could rally the nation around the cause, as opposed to Malaria No More's health workers regurgitating the same message.

"...we didn't want to be this NGO from New York writing songs like, 'Oh, you should sleep under a net,' " says Emily Bergantino, MNM's director of communications.

The grand finale of the singing competition took place June 9 in Dakar, Senegal. The winner will record a song with Youssou N'Dour and join him as a national spokesperson against malaria. According to N'Dour, it is time for Africans to take the lead in the struggle to eliminate malaria.

Comments

[b525]

04:24 PM on 06/18/2010

Much of Senegal's malarial plague is caused by the stagnation of the BAFING RIVER by the upstream Manatali dam.

Large dams and mega-dams also create plagues of malaria and water bourne parasites worldwide by drying up and stagnating entire river systems.

Brazil, China, India, multiple African countries and others around the world are building or planning to build thousands of large dams and mega-dams around the world in the coming days, months and years. China is building and/or funding most of these dams.

Much of the electricity from these dams will be used to smelt minerals from open pit mines which will heavily pollute the world's rivers even more severely then they now already are.

Often the electricity from these dams is promised to bring electricity to the poor but then the electricity is exported out of the country via electrical transmission line to be sold to wealthy countries, this is common in southeast Asia where the dams are built by the Chinese and then the electricty is sent back to China for manufacturing etc.

The dams often destroy river fisheries and river deltas and the dam's reservoirs flood out thousands of people. (millions worldwide).

Foreign countries, such as China, doing business/extracting resources in Africa and southeast Asia etc. should be required by law to improve water drainage and sewage infrastructure around cities, roads and other infrastructure to reduce malaria plagues.

Google search "dams and malaria.". Go to the "International Rivers" website to learn more.

[Conk]

11:43 AM on 06/16/2010

Google Jim Humble and Miracle Mineral Supplement. It cures malaria for a fact! Mr. Humble has many, many letters of thanks from small African countries thanking him for his MMS. Why the mainstream doesn't pick up on this.....?????

Just more of big business and government caring nothing about cures, only about managing disease for profit.