African song on HIV/AIDS launched

Accra, Oct. 18, GNA - The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) on Monday launched "We are the Drums", a song that promotes the African fight against HIV/AIDS and poverty on the continent.

The song, composed, arranged and sung by 19 African musicians invites Africans to take individual responsibility to halt the spread of HIV/AIDS and poverty to attain the ideals of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) by the year 2015.

Launched simultaneously in sister-African countries, the song urges Africans to spread the message on the fight on the two main setbacks far and wide as the tam-tams would do in the traditional African set up. Sung in English, French and Lingala, "We are the Drums" enjoins Africans to "come on the fight" for "this disease called AIDS can never be a tradition with us".

In the song, Koffi Olomide, one of the singers sings, "AIDS we will beat you. We have join together to beat you and hunger. AIDS we will beat you; while Jaojoby from Madagascar sings: "To die today or to die tomorrow its not the same thing.

"Wanting to eat today and make love without a condom you are going to die".

"The Tam-tam drums of Africa, say it in a parable. If you are infected by the AIDS virus, say it so you can be helped", sings Saint Rick of Congo Brazzaville.

Launching the song in Ghana, Mr Alfred Fawundu the UNDP Country Director said of the 40 million people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide, 30 million were from Africa.

The disease had already orphaned 11 million children in Africa and would still orphan 40 million children by 2015 if the current rate of infection was not halted.

"It is significant for developing countries to eradicate extreme poverty and hunger to reach the MDGs, Mr Fawundu said, adding that, "where extreme poverty and hunger existed, it means that your human dignity has been violated".

Mr Fawundu mentioned other areas of concern of the MDG as the attainment of parity in boy/girl child enrolment in school, drastic reduction in maternal mortality and halting the increase in HIV infection rate.

He identified the youth as the most vulnerable in the contraction of HIV/AIDS, saying they were in a dilemma of controlling their sexual libido and urged them to take individual responsibility for their sexual activities to end the scourge.

Mr Fawundu appealed to Disc Jockeys and other music promoters to use the song to beat the drums of the HIV message, urging them to translate the message into local languages to the understanding of the majority of Ghanaians.