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CD aims to “sing” malaria vectors away

13 Feb 2008

Joao Souza

Source: Sonicwave Media (see original article)

Sonicwave Media LLC, an US independent record label from Los Angeles, has just released a CD, “Save My Soul – Music To Prevent Malaria”, intended to help protect thousands of African children from this killer vector-borne disease.

The record label – which has teamed up with the Los Angeles Watts-Willowbrook Rotary Club’s Malaria Net Fund – says that, for every CD sold, it will purchase and distribute two insecticide-treated mosquito bed-nets in Zambia, a country where malaria is endemic.

Insecticide-treated nets (ITNs) are placed over beds to shield people from the mosquitoes which carry malaria and which bite their victims mainly at night. ITNs are the most cost effective way to protect oneself from infection. The nets are large enough for several children to sleep under and can be used up to four years. 

“We plan on saving more than 100,000 lives with this CD,” said the album’s producer, Edward Lyman. Lyman and his crew initially travelled to Zambia in order to film a documentary about the bed-net distribution efforts carried out by a humanitarian group from Los Angeles.

“We followed the group to Africa, were inspired by their story and used our resources to create a product that we know is going to save lives,” Lyman said.

According to the label’s press release, the album was recorded entirely impromptu, at the very time the nets were being distributed. The album’s producers recorded the music they heard as the humanitarian group approached remote villages, camped in the bush, attended masses, visited hospitals and clinics, and explored cities.

Some of the soundtracks even reflect the exact moment of net distribution. For instance, in the track “I Will March To Heaven One Day”, performed by the school children of Chifwema village, one can hear the children singing and clapping their hands against the net bags. Many of the children said they had had malaria two or more times – a chilling statistic if one considers that most of the singers were under the age of 10. 

The CD also contains traditional African songs such as “We Walk Together”, performed by authentic tribal dancers in the Livingstone/Victoria Falls area.

To purchase the album or learn more about this initiative go to www.savemysoulcd.com.

The Watts/Willowbrook Rotary club is a secular non-profit organization that has been effectively distributing nets in Africa.  The group has committed itself to combating malaria in Zambia over the next ten years.  It purchases PermaNet® long lasting insecticide treated malaria nets that have been proven to be effective for up to four years. To follow the progress of the campaign, visit www.stopthebite.org.l

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