UNESCO’s Africa Day focuses on art’s fight against infodemic

23 / 05 / 2020

By Marwa Nassar - -

UNESCO will mark Africa Day on May 25 with a special edition of special edition of ResiliArt focusing on the role of art in fighting infodemic, especially during the coronavirus crisis.

UNESCO will mark the event in partnership with France 24 and the Innovation for Policy Foundation .and host the debate #DontGoViral: Fighting the Infodemic Through Culture. A 45-minute concert in confinement will follow the debate

The debate will focus on the #DontGoViral Campaign, launched by UNESCO in partnership with the i4Policy Foundation to mobilize creators and innovators to crowdsource creative content, and addresses the urgent need for culturally relevant openly licensed information in African languages to inform communities, in their own languages, about how to prevent the spread of COVID-19 and combat the “infodemic” spreading disinformation and misinformation about the virus.

The debate will focus on the role of artists in fighting disinformation and misinformation, the pandemic’s impact on cultural industries, and on the challenges facing the sector in view of the digital transformation underway. Moderated by the journalist Valériane Gauthier of France 24, the debate will be webcast by UNESCO, WAN and France 24.

The debate will feature Youssou N’Dour (Senegal), Neila Tazi (Morocco), Danny Lee (Niger), Siti Amina (Zanzibar, Tanzania), Kareytse Fotso (Cameroun), and Zolani Mahola (South Africa), with surprise special guests.

A 45-minute concert in confinement will follow the debate, featuring prominent African artists including Bobi Wine and Spice Diana (Uganda), Oumou Sangare (Mali), Les Freres Smith and Seun Kuti (Nigeria), Youssou N’dour, Didier Awadi, and Sahad Sarr (Senegal), Mr. Leo (Cameroun), DJ Kedjevara and Revolution Groupe (Cote d’Ivoire), Djanny Pacha (DRC), Fafa Ruffino (Benin), Siti Amina (Zanzibar, Tanzania), Pam Luster (Burkina Faso), Danny Lee (Niger) and Marcus Miller (USA), among others.

The concert will also feature the new release of a new song of the #DontGoViral Campaign “Zero Corona” by the Collective Africa Zero Corona, with more than 20 African artists from more than 6 countries, and a remix of UNESCO’s #DontGoViral playlist by African American DJ Flex.

The debate and concert are part of UNESCO’s Celebration of Africa Day, and the Worldwide Afro Network’s day-long celebration under the patronage of UNESCO in partnership with the African Union of Broadcasting.