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Festival Artists Urge Zambians to Care for Their Health
FrontLines - July 2009
By Uttara Bharath Kumar and Chris Mahoney
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Zambian singer Mozegater performs before the Rhythm of Life crowd.
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Lusaka, Zambia—Musicians, artists, actors, and dancers recently provided entertainment
laced with preventive health care messages about malaria and HIV/AIDS to 12,000 Zambians who attended a free, day-long festival.
Thirty Zambian music artists—joined by legendary Zimbabwean musician Oliver Mutukudzi—performed during the country’s first combined music and arts festival with a health fair. The May 16 event was titled “Rhythm of Life: Move to a Healthy Beat!”
All the musicians attended a workshop prior to the concert to learn about key health issues and health promotion. A presentation on the benefits of male circumcision
convinced a handful of the male stars to go for the procedure
following the workshop.
Every performer agreed to include health messages in their performances which they tailored to their fan base and delivered in their own style.
Popular reggae star Maiko Zulu told the crowd: “Hey, AIDS is out there, mon! And it’s real! Use a condom, it will save your life!” He then broke into his hit song, Willy, Willy, Willy (Don’t Be Silly).
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R
eggae artist Maiko Zulu delivers his message on HIV/AIDS.
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Musician Mozegater, who has a huge following among Zambian youth, told his fans about the benefits of male circumcision as well as his personal experience with the procedure.
He had it done six days before the concert, figuring he could not encourage his fans without first undergoing the procedure
himself.
Zambia’s Ministry of Health was a key partner in the USAID-supported festival. A variety of USAID partners and others provided information about preventing
HIV/AIDS and malaria, voluntary counseling and testing services, male circumcision, blood pressure and weight checks, and health quizzes with prizes.
U.S. Ambassador to Zambia Donald E. Booth challenged the crowd and those watching on a live, nationwide broadcast to weigh the costs of treatment against the costs of prevention.
“It is missing days of work to treat malaria, instead of spending 10 minutes installing a mosquito net,” he said. “It is spending a lifetime on ART [antiretroviral therapy] instead of 10 seconds putting on a condom.
It is losing years of life to breast or skin cancer instead of setting aside five minutes once a month for a self-exam.”
Lillian Mphuka of the Zambian Ministry of Health said, “The feedback received so far has been overwhelming…making it an annual event would be a very good strategy for informing our Lusaka community
and beyond through music and art of key health issues.”
“I personally felt proud to be a Zambian,” she added.
Angela Nyirenda, the Queen of Makewene music in Zambia, summed up the event: “You have seen a lot of people here. They have rushed to listen to the music, but at the end of the day they go home knowing something.
This means somebody out there has been protected.”
★
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