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UNESCO #DontGoViral - African Artists Against COVID Misinformation

Africa (36+ countries), Africa

A UNESCO campaign launched in April 2020 that crowdsourced culturally relevant, openly licensed creative content from African artists—songs, dances, and visual art—to combat COVID-19 misinformation in local languages. Over 400 artists from 36 African countries participated, including Ugandan star Bobi Wine whose 'Corona Virus Alert' song went viral.

Behavior Goal

Combat the 'infodemic' of COVID-19 misinformation by using culturally resonant creative content in local African languages to spread accurate public health messages.

Channels

Radio

Implementers & Partners

  • UNESCO
  • Innovation for Policy Foundation (i4Policy)
  • UNHCR

Donors & Sponsors

  • UNESCO

Key Takeaways

  • 1Over 400 artists from 36 African countries contributed openly licensed content
  • 2Bobi Wine's 'Corona Virus Alert' covered in multiple local languages became a sensation
  • 3Songs provide memorable format for health information - easy to remember and share
  • 4All content openly licensed for free use, remixing, and translation

Sources

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