By Ndey Sowe
The wife of the President Mrs. Fatoumatta Bah Barrow and the UNICEF country office have partnered with Gambian artists Jizzle and ST, to release songs to educate and sensitize the public on the global pandemic of the Coronavirus, with the first of the two songs produced by Jizzle released since Friday March 20th 2020, whilst that of ST to be released soon.
Mrs. Fatoumatta Bah Barrow hailed the collaboration of UNICEF and the two artists as an important milestone in the country’s fight against the Coronavirus.
“Communication is vital to the containment of the spread of the Coronavirus,” Mrs. Barrow said; that the songs will entertain, inform and raise the awareness of the general public especially the youth and vulnerable members of society, on the preventive measures and symptoms of the virus.
Since the Coronavirus was declared a global pandemic, Mrs. Fatoumatta Bah Barrow has made a personal commitment to reach out to all Gambians with proper information on the virus and how they can protect themselves.
“We need the power of positive thinking more than ever before and I hope that these songs will be shared, and the messages contained therein would naturally address any element of doubt or misperceptions that people may have about the pandemic,” she said.
The Gambia Country Representative of UNICEF Sandra Lattouf, said the songs have the potential to awaken the public to the realities of the Coronavirus and to motivate people to take action to fight the virus and keep the Gambia safe.
“These songs contain strong messages on preventive measures against the Coronavirus. We are confident that people will learn from these messages and be inspired to take action to protect themselves and others around them,” the UNICEF representative said.
UNICEF and the UN system in The Gambia continue to work with the Gambia Government and partners to keep the public informed about preventive measures and how they can contribute to the containment of the Coronavirus.
“As members of the national COVID-19 taskforce, we have identified strategic priorities to support Government in keeping the people safe from the virus. We are strengthening risk communication and supporting through proper coordination, case management and logistics to contain the Coronavirus and protect Gambians from the disease,” she concludes.
