"The Virus": a mini-series in Senegal to entertain and do prevention

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The mini-series entitled "The Virus" has been broadcast every evening on the ITV television channel and on the internet since the end of April. This Wolof soap opera features classic intrigue, love stories, jealousy, but against the backdrop of a pandemic, curfew and quarantine.

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With our correspondent in Dakar , Charlotte Idrac

It all starts with the return of a "modou modou", in other words a Senegalese emigrant from Italy. He ignores having contracted the virus, and infects his entire family. A story drawn from a real fact .

Mustapha Kanté, director of the series "The Virus", had the idea when the first case appeared in Senegal in early March. Each episode, from 4 to 8 minutes, deals with a theme linked to the pandemic: wearing a mask, modes of transmission, false information, etc.

For the director, the series is an effective means of conveying messages: "  Because we have seen that in all the TV channels, the same thing is repeated, Wash your hands, while this is not enough. There are love stories, there are quarrel stories, there are stories of a girl who cheats on her boyfriend… We have developed several themes from the life of everyday Senegalese, while raising awareness. But the virus remains the center.  "

The film crew is small, most of the footage is filmed indoors. In the end, 30 episodes that adapt to the evolution of the pandemic in the country: “  We move forward according to the news. We will take into account all the new measures taken by our President Macky Sall.  "

And at the end of each episode, the recommendations of a character dressed in a doctor's coat, to very concretely recall the barrier measures.

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• Senegal
• Coronavirus

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