Malaria Idol - 2010

In June of 2010, the nonprofit Malaria No More wanted to encourage people to use bed nets in order to prevent malaria. On June 9, 2010 in Dakar, Senegal nine finalists took to the stage to vie for a recording deal. All of the songs sung were written by the contestants and they were all on the topic of prevent malaria. The idea behind the campaign is simple and brilliant: if you’re working in public health and you want to change people’s behavior for the better, don’t try to convince them yourselves. Instead, find someone outside the medical community who already knows how.

The video above was recorded by one of Senegal's biggest pop stars. It is a cautionary tale about protecting yourself from malaria. It was released with a special concert the night before the Senegalese government kicked off a massive distribution of bed nets for all children younger than 5.

http://www.newsweek.com/blogs/the-human-condition/2010/06/09/malaria-idol-in-senegal-using-music-to-send-a-message.html