Artists Champion the Fight Against COVID-19
Yamikani Soko, 16, from Mbayani Township in Blantyre, was sceptical about the existence of COVID-19 when it was first reported in Malawi.
The misinformation about the pandemic, which was rampant on social media, heightened his disbelief. But until musician Blak Jak of Wadya Iwe fame posted about the dangers of the pandemic, Yamikani started believing it.
He said he was a great fan of Blak Jak’s music, hence he has been following him for a long time.
“I follow Blak Jak on Facebook because I am a fan of his music. And when he posted about the existence of COVID-19 on his page, I began to believe it and start taking preventive measures against it. I remember the first time I put on a face mask my friends were mocking me for having contracted the COVID-19 virus,” said Yamikani.
Realizing the power of music and artists, Applied Development Communication and Training Services (ADECOTS) work with various artists under the Osayidelera COVID-19 project, which was funded by USAID through the Health Communication for Life (HC4L).
ADECOTS identified some influential artists, including Blak Jak to work with to debug myths about COVID-19.
Blak Jak said he was excited to work with ADECOTS on the Osayidelera COVID-19 project, describing the experience as a great contribution to the development of Malawi.
“As a musician, I love my brand to go beyond entertaining people. I want to make a difference in people’s lives by influencing their decisions and behaviours that’s why I accepted to be taken on board by ADECCOTS to be part and parcel of the Osayidelera COVID-19 campaign in Malawi,” said Blak Jak.
ADECOTS implemented Risk Communication and Community Engagement activities under the Osayidelera COVID-19 campaign in conjunction with the Blantyre District Health Office (DHO). And together they have been working with different music groups and solo artists to champion the fight against COVID-19 via diverse media platforms.
ADECOTS programs manager Damiano Chisikwa said there was a lot of misinformation on social media, thus using the influence of artists to counter them.