Nigerian Grammy Award Winners Yemi Alade and Meji Alabi Join Global Malaria Deaths Campaign
Today, Yemi Alade and Meji Alabi join a great ensemble of worldwide change-makers to ramp up the pressure on malaria, launching the second part of the multi-award-winning Draw the Line Against Malaria campaign.
In a world still reeling from the far-reaching consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, with global health security and pandemic preparedness at the top of world leaders’ agendas, the next chapter of the campaign aims to increase pressure on world leaders to commit to ending malaria at the Kigali Summit and investing funds totaling US$18 billion at the Global Fund’s Seventh Replenishment in New York this autumn.
A fully replenished Global Fund is projected to enable countries and partners to reduce malaria deaths by 62%, treat 550 million malaria cases, and eliminate malaria from six more countries by 2026, as well as unlock the potential of a Zero Malaria world, assisting in the strengthening of equitable health systems and improving the lives and futures of millions of people.
The second phase of Draw the Line, supported by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, features a stellar cast of young people, activists, scientists, and stars ranging from Malaria No More UK Leadership Council founding member David Beckham and FC Barcelona striker Pierre Emerick Aubameyang to marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and Afropop singer Yemi Alade.
“The World Health Organization invites a new host of scientists, youth, and advocates to join the malaria battle at a critical moment when progress against the illness is languishing,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Draw The Line gives Africa’s most compelling narrators a platform to reverse this trend, disrupt political indifference, and lead the campaign to stop this curable and preventable illness that kills a child nearly every minute.”
“Growing up in Nigeria, I have known malaria my entire life and have experienced it several times, so I understand how this sickness robs so many children of their capacity to attend school and why malaria is a major cause of school absence.” “I think that all children should have equal opportunity to fulfill their full potential, which is why I’m here because we can stop one of the deadliest avoidable illnesses of all time,” stated singer and Zero Malaria Ambassador Yemi Alade on her engagement with the campaign.
“I adore the spirit and attitude of this campaign utilizing the power of African inspired art, music, sport, fashion, and culture to create positive change and build on the bold reality that we can eradicate malaria,” said Meji Alabi, the campaign’s film director and Grammy award winner. It can’t come fast enough — I was in the hospital last year with malaria, which was awful. No one should have to suffer from this avoidable disease in this day and age.”
Láol Senbanjo, Zero Malaria Ambassador and Art Director for the campaign, expressed his excitement about creating the Muundo visual language in the first phase of the campaign and steering the creative direction in the second phase, saying, “I’m honored to have my art at the heart of this campaign expressing our opportunity for zero malaria.” Growing up in Nigeria, I was exposed to malaria on a daily basis. It is tragic that Nigeria continues to be one of the most impacted nations, accounting for more than 25% of all malaria cases and fatalities – therefore this is a very personal struggle for me.”
Dr. Corine Karema, Interim CEO of the RBM Partnership to End Malaria, emphasized the importance of the fund, saying, “In addition to the innovation of new tools, we must invest in the country health systems and programs required to ensure these tools and resources target the right people and right places, at the right time.” The Global Fund is crucial in providing life-saving malaria services where they are most needed. This year, we must see a fully refilled Global Fund get back on track and speed the malaria response in order to eradicate the illness and build health systems, so creating a safer, healthier, and more equitable world for everyone.”
In a critical year in the fight to end one of the world’s oldest and deadliest diseases within a generation, with game-changing high-level summits in both Rwanda and the United States, global stars have joined forces with youth and scientists from around the world to put pressure on world leaders to commit to ending malaria and invest $18 billion at the Global Fun’s Seventh Replenishment, in the next exciting phase of the multi-award-winning Draw the Line Ahead campaign.
Over the past year, Dentsu International’s groundbreaking campaign, developed in 2021 as a youth pillar of the global Zero Malaria Starts With Me movement, has united people all over the world at a time when malaria kills a child every minute, generating over 35 million engagements across the campaign’s website and social media channels.
Through its cooperation with the Global Fund, USAID’s President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI), and other non-governmental entities, the Federal Government of Nigeria has invested in malaria preventive methods and instruments, including antimalarial medications.