British actor Idris Elba is playing the part of a motivating soccer coach in a new media campaign designed to not only continue spreading awareness, but it puts the outbreak in a context that West Africa and the rest of the world can really relate to.
The campaign consists of print and billboard ads, radio spots and videos that educate the public about precautions and create a sense of teamwork and community.
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Elba himself has a link to the West African epicenter of Ebola. His dad is from Sierra Leone, where the outbreak is still surging. He joined a group of high-profile African soccer stars for the campaign, called Africa United — a play off a common name for soccer clubs — think Manchester United or DC United. The CDC Foundation, which works with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is the mastermind.
Among the famous soccer stars involved is Sierra Leone striker Kei Kamara. He told NPR‘s Goats and Soda, “It’s a project that’s really, really important. … We are using the campaign to educate the people not just in Sierra Leone but around West Africa to what’s going on.”
Hopefully with the new campaign that is designed to reach people in a way they will understand and relate to will make a difference moving forward.
“Because of a lack of education, people did not really believe in it,” Kamara said. “They thought it was just the type of news that would come by and then just go away.”
