Fight That Corona: Project Nima raise awareness on coronavirus with music and dance

Project Nima wants to raise awareness on how to prevent the spread of the Coronavirus while also sending out joy in a time of global crisis.

It becomes even more important to remember the WHO-health-guidelines now when many countries are starting to open up their societies after lockdown.

We believe that the universal language of dance and music is the best tool to educate and reach out to as many people as possible. This especially in areas that are difficult to reach with information.

Early on, Project Nima noticed how difficult it was to reach people with correct information about Covid-19 protection. In Ghana the Project Nima team worked hard to provide correct information about the Coronavirus and to educate people on how to wash their hands and to keep social distance in accordance with the WHO-guidelines. Many people came together to help, including Ghanaian government officals who showed their deep support for Project Nima’s work to help them protect the people in vulnerable areas.

The Project Nima Ghana and Sweden teams have, for a long time, worked with music as tools to help traumatised children. This experience made Project Nima come up with an innovative concept to distribute a unique and easy-to-understand message about how to contain the spread of Covid-19 using dance and music instead of traditional informational methods. Together we put our idea into words, and we decided to send it to music producer Max Martin asking for help to make a cover of Ghen Cô Vy – Corona Song, a song by Nioeh, Khac Hung, Min and Erik with a similar purpose released on the initiative by the Vietnamese Health Authority.

Max Martin immediately understood the importance of this method of spreading vital information in a positive manner and he told Project Nima that he wanted to help. He then contacted producer Matthew Engst and Chau Phan in Los Angeles to ask if they wanted to make the cover. Matthew and Chau didn’t hesitate and immediately started to work, meanwhile Max Martin helped coordinate the music side of the project. Project Nima will forever be grateful to these kind-hearted people for wanting to join our mission and to help us spread important information in the spirit of happiness and empowerment.

Inspired by QUANG ĐĂNG Corona Dance, Dennis Dogbe and Kwablah Afeavor, from Project Nima Ghana, made an educational dance to Matt and Chau’s cover, reminding people to wash their hands in the correct manner. With the dance Dennis and Kwablah not only wanted to educate and remind people to keep social distancing – they also wanted the dance to be a reminder of that eventhough we should not shake hands nor hug for a while – we should not stop being there for each other. We still need human contact, to respect and love each other and to fight for keeping unity in the world. The crisis should bring us together not make us fight. And with this project we want to remind people that life has to go on but we can’t forget the WHO- guidelines yet because Corona is still out there. And at the same time we want to create hope by spreading the Ghanaian message of one people – one love to the world.

Project Nima is an organisation based in Ghana and Sweden, building stronger societies with mutual exchange of experience, knowledge and ideas.

Credits:

Artist: OKKO with Project Nima
Production Managers and coordinators: Christina Wenngren, Paulina Westerlind, Kwablah Afeavor
Music Producer: Matthew Engst
Performed by: Chau Phan
Songwriter: Khac Hung
Editor: Annika Mayer
Co-editor: Paulina Westerlind, Christina Wenngren
Photographers: Dogo Yaro, Mattias Hamrén and Paulina Westerlind
Dance choregrapher: Dennis Dogbe, Kwablah Afeavor
Dancers: Project Nima team Ghana and Sweden with friends and supporters all over the world