“Corona has no cure or vaccines as yet, stay home and keep safe,” they implore the masses in the song.
A song by renowned Luo singer and producer, Brayo gained an enormous amount of airplay in Northern Uganda. The song about coronavirus that features another lead singer in Northern Uganda, Jeron Keen, is written in Luo.
It starts by demystifying the myths around COVID-19 as the singers dismiss the notion that the virus is a laboratory project by the Chinese to conquer the world’s economy. They then advise the public to be vigilant and protect their lives and that of others so as not to contract the deadly virus. “Corona has no cure or vaccines as yet, stay home and keep safe,” they implore the masses in the song.
Brayo goes on to call for maintenance of social distance, handwashing and being vigilant on any signs and symptoms related to the virus. “I sing this song for my life and that of yours, you are precious, don’t expose your life to danger by being negligent, let us all make this little sacrifice, and we shall win the fight and come out of it stronger,” Brayo notes in one of the verses.
They warn that thousands of people are dying in other countries and that they wouldn't wish to see that happening in Uganda. The artistes also dismiss the myth that only the elderly have died and insist that coronavirus has killed across different age groups. “Use sanitisers, don’t touch your nose, eyes, and mouth; let us not take chances, youth,” Jeron Keen cautions.
The song, a merger of Rhythm and Blues (R&B) and dancehall, is very short and clear. The words are not minced and nothing is lost in translation. Educated and uneducated members of the public can relate to this especially beautiful song. Without a doubt, Brayo and Jeron Keen delivered this with the utmost skill.
By George Abedi