Zero Malaria Starts With Me has just launched the youth-focused, Africa-first campaign Draw The Line Against Malaria, which aims to end malaria in a generation. This initiative marks a new creative approach to targeting the deadly enemy that continues to usurp futures and take the life of a child every two minutes. Despite significant gains in the fight against the disease, malaria still predominantly affects children and pregnant women across Sub-Saharan Africa and efforts must be redoubled now in the face of Covid-19, which threatens diagnoses and treatment. Draw The Line Against Malaria calls on young people worldwide to unite in taking action and demand more from their political leaders.

The campaign goes live today with a high-octane film, directed by Meji Alabi and with art direction by Láolú Senbanjo, that showcases an inspiring cast of global African ambassadors. The likes of South African rugby captain Siya Kolisi, Kenyan marathon world record-holder Eliud Kipchoge and Nigerian-American actress Osas Ighodaro line up alongside youth champions to highlight the creative energy and talent emanating from the continent and its diaspora. From hair salons to boxing rings, from class rooms to football pitches, we meet the generation who are “too strong, too fast, too fierce, too smart” to be defeated.

Meji Alabi brought his personal experience of malaria to the project. He was born in the UK to Nigerian parents and first visited the country at the age of 19. “It was eye opening to see how invasively malaria affects everyone’s lives,” he says. “I’ve had a lot of family, friends and people close to me that have passed due to malaria.” Now an in-demand filmmaker who has shot music videos for the likes of Burna Boy, Wizkid and Tiwa Savage, it was important for him to give this campaign a positive perspective. “My idea was to come at it from a position of power, not a position of weakness. We channel youthful energy and that bold attitude into every fibre of the film,” he explains. “We are combating the image of the child with malaria who is vulnerable and helpless and rather we want to empower young people. We are highlighting what we stand to lose by not uniting together to end the world's oldest disease.”

At the heart of the initiative is the creation of a new visual language called Muundo, a Swahili word meaning ‘to build a movement’, which has been designed by artist and activist Láolú Sebanjo. Throughout the film we see its meaningful patterns on every canvas – bodies, cars, walls, clothing - as a way to weave together the human story of malaria and unite us in power. Furthermore, the campaign urges supporters to continue this journey by sharing their own take on the language on social media.

Láolú left Nigeria and his career as a human rights lawyer in 2013 and moved to New York where his turned to using his skills to educate through art. He has worked with Lupita Nyong'o, Alicia Keys and Swizz Beats and his Sacred Art of the Ori body ritual was featured on Beyoncé’s ‘Lemonade’. “I had malaria countless times growing up and so did everyone in my family. I felt like I cheated death many times,” Láolú states. “So as an artist and as a human I am proud to work on this project and see myself as a bridge to the continent.”

Muundo is a homage to his Yoruba heritage while also imbuing symbols with new meanings. “The language is made up of lines and patterns, the afromysterics as I call them, which are a type of poetry I use to carry the message,” he explains. In this context, Láolú is expressing the dangers of malaria and also the hope of a malaria-free world. For example, the symbol for the mosquito features an X on the body representing how malaria will be halted, while a triangle symbol, or aro meta, means balance: “This is important because we have to balance our efforts and energy so we fight malaria in the right way.”

The film's upbeat, unabashed approach successfully celebrates the wealth of excellence that is at risk by inaction and highlights the urgency of drawing a line now. As the final statement of the film so rightly demands: “It is time to take our future back.”

Draw your line against malaria at www.zeromalaria.org and share your malaria art on your social channels.

Film direction Meji Alabi
Art direction Láolú Sebanjo
Words Xanthe Somers

Published on 22/02/2021