Here’s a brief video showing rapper Fou Malad performing at the Xeex Sibbiru Song Contest in Kaolack, Senegal, last month. In the middle of a song, the music stops and he adds a quick plug telling the audience to get to a doctor quickly if they have symptoms of malaria.
As Youssou Ndour explained in a recent Op-Ed describing the concept of getting musicians to raise awareness about malaria, “We are expected to sing for the voiceless, and I take that responsibility seriously.” He continues, “Our goal: to urge every family to sleep under a mosquito net and to seek timely, effective treatment when needed.” That’s exactly what the Xeex Sibbiru Song Contest is all about, and that’s exactly what Fou Malad (which funnily enough means “crazy sick” in French) helped to do at the concert.
Xeex on,
Adam Horowitz
Peace Corps Volunteer
Dakar, Senegal
