HIV/AIDS song in Dagbani launched

Accra, Sept. 27, GNA - An HIV/AIDS song on Compact Disc and cassette albums composed in Dagbani were on Sunday launched in Accra to facilitate a change in the sexual behaviour of the people.

Similar ceremonies are scheduled to take place in Tamale, Wa and Bolgatanga within the next two months, Mr Hardi Adams, Executive Director of Harry Adams International (HAI), a non-governmental organisation campaigning against the spread of HIV/AIDS, malaria, guinea worm and tuberculosis, said at the launch.


Alhaji Mohammed Dauda Sulley, a Lecturer at the Language Centre, University of Ghana, Legon, wrote and arranged the song while Mr Adams composed and sang it.


Mr Adams said 200 C.D. albums and 100 cassettes were produced for the launch, which received 27 million cedis funding from the Ghana AIDS Commission.


He said the song had been composed to educate the people about the need to lead morally upright lives in order not to contract the HIV/AIDS virus.

Nii Bi Ayi-Bonte, Member of Parliament for Ododododiodioo Constituency, who launched the C.D album/cassettes, said the HIV/AIDS pandemic had become a national concern, which needed to be addressed by every person in the country; adding that he would devote some time during his campaign trail to educate the electorate on the pandemic. He said the increasing incidence of the pandemic had brought to the fore the need to show its devastating effects on televisions so as to bring a radical change in peoples' attitude and behaviour on indiscriminate sex.


Nii Ajiri Blankson, the Accra Metropolitan Chief Executive, in an address read on his behalf, asked Ghanaians not to shun people living with HIV/AIDS, saying: "The more we discriminate and stigmatise these unfortunate ones, the more we are pushing them to die early."


Nii Blankson asked people to take advantage of the Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT) to enable them to know their HIV/AIDS status and plan their lives for the future.