If you want your social message to be well received in Uganda, it increasingly makes sense to turn to artistes. Because of their popularity, artistes’ voices, faces and music are used in social campaigns that run in the media.
Last Friday PATH, under the USAID Advocacy for Better Health (ABH), lauded innovations in health using six celebrated Ugandan artistes. ABH is a USAID project that improves health especially among women and children.
The artistes were asked to compose 13 songs and perform during last Friday’s official launch at Serena hotel Kampala, with advocacy messages on behavior change.
The artistes included Afrigo band’s Joanita Kawalya, Golden band’s Mesach Semakula, Dr Hilderman, Pr Wilson Bugembe, Rema Namakula and Ziza Bafana, who also recorded a joint advocacy song.
The launch was well received, with Victoria hall filled to capacity. And it took getting used to seeing Bobi Wine in attendance, this time as Robert Kyagulanyi, MP for Kyadondo East.
Still, a leopard does not lose its spots and the honourable MP later took to the stage as the guest artiste. Dr Chris Baryomunsi, state minister for housing, and Dr Francis Omaswa the executive director, African Centre for Global Change, among others, were in attendance.
The campaign dubbed “Sing for Change” seeks to sensitize the public about HIV/Aids, tuberculosis (TB) and social accountability.
According to Moses Dombo, chief of party, USAID ABH, the songs have been produced in both audio and video, mainly in Luganda with some parts in English to carry key messages.
Geoffrey Kayemba, who coordinated the musicians, said “Sing for Change” was their idea after they realized their music has potential to focus on more than just love songs.
Dr Hilderman chose to sing about tuberculosis (TB), one of the common opportunistic diseases among people living with HIV.
Hilderman said, “I believe my work will transform the community; it is regrettable that Uganda is marked 18th among the world’s 22 high TB burden countries.”
Rema Namakula was the last to perform and she chose to sing about maternal health and nutrition. The message was then sealed by Ziza Bafana, who jumped on stage with his energetic style of presentation, but uncharacteristically chose to play the keyboard as he sang, because he wanted the message to be well-received.
The launch also had a blood donation drive, as well as free HIV counseling and testing by TASO.
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