Last week, Senegal Surround Sound launched the Xeex Sibbiru Concours de Chant (Fight Malaria Song Contest). Think “American Idol” with songs that raise malaria awareness. Watch clips from the press conference in the previous post’s video below. Now the real fun begins!
Here’s the basic schedule of events:
Starting on March 8, contestants will have until March 21 to sign up at radio stations around the country, where they’ll take a quiz on malaria and drop off or record their demo tapes. From March 22 to 28, a committee will review the demo tapes and select 48 semi-finalists (6 contestants each from 8 regions). In each region, the semi-finalists will participate in a 7-day training program and internship at local health centers where they will learn about malaria prevention.
From April 10 to May 22, each of the 8 regions will hold a concert in which the 6 regional semi-finalists will perform. During each concert, 1 winner will be chosen by a panel of judges.
These 8 finalists will travel to Dakar and move into a house where they’ll undergo extensive training on singing and songwriting skills with producer Bouba Ndour. This will all be filmed, perhaps making it Senegal’s first reality TV show!
We will hold a final concert in Dakar on June 9, where the 8 finalists will perform and the champion will be chosen, again by a panel of judges. The winner will go on to produce a music video and album with some of Senegal’s biggest musicians! This is a huge opportunity for Senegal’s amateur musicians, who are already gearing up for the contest.
Since the press conference last week, we’ve received a strong response from the public. This is an innovative way to promote malaria prevention awareness, and it seems that the Xeex Sibbiru campaign is really influencing people to use mosquito nets every night and to educate themselves about malaria prevention. Stay tuned!
(The picture above is a copy of a large banner promoting the contest. From left to right, it features some of Senegal’s biggest singers: Fou Malad, Viviane, Youssou Ndour, Pape Diouf, and Mame Balla.)
