Africa is still relatively untouched by the coronavirus pandemic. The continent totaled Monday March 30 that 150 deaths nearly 4,800 confirmed cases. But while the virus is likely to spread in the coming days, many African artists have decided to put their talent at the service of prevention. To raise awareness and counter contamination, they alert with music about the right actions to take.

  • In Liberia, President Weah sings against coronavirus

Liberian President George Weah sang a text on Wednesday, March 25, written by him, according to his services, to raise awareness of the fight against the coronavirus.

"My fellow Liberians, let us stand together to fight the coronavirus. God bless Africa and the rest of the world", chants in English more than he sings, the president on a playful music of percussion and strings embellished with voices feminine. The former soccer star, who became president two years ago, talks for about six minutes about how the virus spreads, about the need to wash your hands and about the symptoms of the disease.

Liberia was the West African country hardest hit between 2014 and 2016 by Ebola fever, which killed more than 4,800 people there.

  • In Uganda, the star Bobi Wine warns of the dangers of the virus

The singer and deputy Bobi Wine, opposing the Ugandan president Yoweri Museveni, published on Wednesday March 25 a clip in which he encourages his compatriots to make good the barrier gestures against the virus. "The bad news is that everyone is a potential victim," he sings in this studio video. "But the good news is that everyone is also a potential solution," said Bobi Wine, whose real name is Robert Kyagulanyi.

"Discipline", "personal hygiene", "wash your hands", chants the deputy and singer.

  • In Senegal, the Y a marre collective raises awareness in music and video

Known for its commitment against corruption, the Senegalese collective Y a a marre chose to fight the coronavirus today. He produced in record time a song and a clip entitled "Fagaru Ci Corona" ("warn the corona" in Wolof). Usually very critical of the authorities, the artists of this movement even asked for approval from the Ministry of Health. "We met the Minister of Health, because we did not want to communicate against the current of the ministry. They validated the messages of the song. Today, we must silence the political quarrels," said the rapper Malal Talla at RFI. Senegal has so far imposed a curfew on its territory.

  • In Ivory Coast, the king of the cut-off sets the tone

Ivorian star of the cut-off, DJ Kerozen also wants to alert his compatriots. In a video, he urges them to be particularly careful: "There is corona, let's respect the hygiene instructions given by our governments. The matter is serious, oh, so we too are serious".

Côte d'Ivoire recorded its first death from coronavirus on Sunday. The isolation of the economic capital Abidjan (5 million inhabitants) from the rest of the country, initially planned for Thursday, finally entered into force on Monday morning.

  • In Burkina Faso, Smarty partners with Unicef

Burkina Faso already has more than a dozen deaths. In an attempt to stem the pandemic, UNICEF has teamed up with the rapper from Burkina Faso Smarty to produce a song that fights against rumors and false information. "The rumors say that it is white disease, that Mamadou the healer has his medicine. The rumors say that it is a biological attack, Mr. Rumor will eventually bury Africa", sings in particular the artist by way of Warning.

  • In DR Congo, Fally Ipupa composes in confinement

The star Fally Ipupa sings "The kisses stop" to encourage the Congolese to get used to the good gestures to stem the pandemic. "The braces, stop. Washing your hands with soap, yes very important," he said in a new song composed on the guitar. While the artist says he is favorable in this clip to a confinement, in DR Congo, a first total confinement of four days from the capital Kinshasa (at least 10 million inhabitants) was postponed Friday evening, 24 hours after being announced by local authorities, who feared soaring prices and insecurity.

  • In Morocco, Nouamane Lahlo sings against the "corona"

The Moroccan singer also decided to take up the pen to fight the pandemic. In a song soberly titled "Corona", he encourages Moroccans to show solidarity during this difficult period.

Morocco introduced a state of health emergency last Friday for a month and took drastic measures. The kingdom also announced that it has allocated 2 billion dirhams (185 million euros) to strengthen its medical device, notably with the acquisition of 100,000 screening kits, to limit the spread of the new coronavirus.

  • In Algeria, KadaWmiloud raps in the face of the pandemic

The Algerian duo KadaWmiloud has chosen to share by recalling the gestures to adopt on a daily basis to fight against the spread of the virus. Algerian authorities have declared complete containment of the main source of contamination in Blida, west of Algiers, and a curfew in the capital.

  • In Nigeria, singer Asa advises to "dab"

Lagos, a sprawling megalopolis of 20 million inhabitants, and Abuja, the capital of Nigeria, on Monday decreed a total containment in the most populous country in Africa on Monday.

To try to make her compatriots smile while understanding the importance of the health crisis, the singer Asa posted a humorous video on her Instagram account. In this one, the Nigerian artist advises of course to wash his hands, but also to "dab" in case of sneezing.

View this post on Instagram

PSA ❤️🦅

A post shared by Asa (@asaofficial) on Mar 13, 2020 at 3:47 am PDT

  • In South Africa, a choir fights the virus by dancing

In South Africa, the choir Ndlovu Youth Choir is known to have participated in America's Got Talent. Faced with the coronavirus pandemic, this group made up of young people from the province of Limpopo has decided to make a video in which she also recalls the good barrier gestures.

South Africa is the sub-Saharan African country most affected by the virus, with more than a thousand reported cases and two deaths, according to the latest report. The 57 million South Africans entered a three-week total containment period on Friday to curb the spread of the epidemic.

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