Singer/songwriter Maureen Lupo Lilanda writes music to improve awareness about the disease 

It is a sunny, humid day in Ndola, and hundreds of people have gathered in the hub of the country’s copper mining region to participate in Zambia’s 2008 annual International Trade Fair. Men in suits are putting up exhibits, the delicious smell of nshima cooking is in the air, and everywhere there is a sense of excitement and energy. Singer/songwriter Maureen Lupo Lilanda has also come to Ndola to take part in the fair by helping the Ministry of Health with an issue that is near to her heart. Her voice swells with emotion when she sings of something she is passionate about: “We can stop malaria,” she sings, “if we work together. The answer is in our hands.”

Maureen is a survivor of cerebral malaria—the most dangerous and most often fatal type of the disease—and has a personal understanding of the toll it can take on individuals and their families. An energetic and compassionate woman, she is dedicated to teaching people how they can protect themselves and their loved ones from malaria. Maureen believes that artists can help prevent people from getting sick by demonstrating that malaria is a real problem that affects everyone regardless of age, race, or economic or social status, but that it can be prevented by adhering to several important steps. Her latest song, entitled “Pamodzi”—the Nyanja word for “together”—urges Zambians to be united in their efforts to eliminate the disease and its burden on the people. By performing songs about malaria, Maureen encourages people to talk about the disease and how to protect themselves with bednets and important medicines. The National Malaria Control Centre (NMCC) will continue to work with Maureen and other Zambian musicians to release a malaria-themed CD.

“That’s my message,” says Maureen, with a big smile. “It’s not up to one person to solve the problem; it’s up to all of us to get involved and do something about it. Together anything can be achieved.”

Photo: PATH.