RYTHM OF LIFE CONCERT
In
Oliver “Tuku” Mtukudzi was invited to participate in the event
particularly because of his long-standing reputation in the region as a
musical icon and as an ambassador of health. He added to the star-studded
feel of the day and increased the appeal and profile of the event. “This
is a brilliant idea,” said Mr. Mtukudzi, “We want to try this
in Zimbabwe for sure. As artistes we are a mirror of the people and it us
our duty to elaborate issues that people may not understand.”
The event was covered by Zambian National Broadcasting Corporation and the
popular private TV channel MUVI TV. Key speeches as well as a few of the
most popular performers and their messages were transmitted live to television
sets around the country during prime time. Advance publicity on radio, print
and TV had alerted audiences around the country to tune in between 16:00
and 18:00 hours on Saturday, 16th May, 2009. According to the ZDHS 2007
about 35% of
Zambia’s 11 million people watch television regularly. Even if half
that number was watching television that evening, that is close to two million
viewers country-wide.
Satellite activities centering around the live broadcast took place around
the country. Some of these were initiated by HCP offices in 22 hard-to-reach
districts. In Mansa, for example, the HCP District Program Officer, Francisca
Tembo, worked closely with district partners to organize a local health
fair on the same day as the Lusaka concert. The fair featured local drama
groups and other entertainment, culminating in a joint viewing (by a crowd
of over 1,000 people) of the two-hour live television broadcast using mobile
video screens installed for this occasion in the local football stadium
by the Zambia News and Information Services. health funds.
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