Tonight is the finale of the “Xeex Sibbiru” (“Fight Malaria”) Song Contest, led by international superstar Youssou Ndour. Senegal will declare the winner: the face not only of Senegal’s musical future but also of a country on the brink of ending malaria deaths for once and for all.

The Song Contest is an extension of Youssou’s campaign last year, when—on the eve of the National Malaria Control Program’s distribution of mosquito nets to every child under five—he hosted a concert in Dakar and released the hit song, Xeex Sibbiru, encouraging all Senegalese families to take responsibility for the fight against malaria in their homes, communities and country.

See videos from backstage below. Additional videos can be found on the Dakar Calling blog. AFP TV recently featured the song contest—see here for the video clip. 

One of the key components of any effective malaria campaign is follow-up. You can’t simply hand someone a mosquito net, check them off your list as another prevented case of malaria, and pat yourself on the back for a job-well-done. The only time mosquito nets help to prevent malaria and save lives is when people actually use them! That’s why Peace Corps Volunteers (PCVs) can be so useful during malaria campaigns; they live in communities, learn local languages, and build relationships with people. This puts them in the best position to promote proper bed net usage and to follow up with individual families.

Marisa Van Osdale is one of the PCVs with a Malaria No More FlipCam. She has been documenting malaria related activities in her region of Matam in Northern Senegal, and here she shares a video of a family receiving mosquito nets and pledging to use them every night. But, as she explains below, it’s important to remind people to use the nets through subsequent visits.

Adam Horowitz is a third year Peace Corps Volunteer in Dakar. Prior, he was a Health and Community Development volunteer in Gambia.

MNM’s Martin Edlund reflects on the amazing “Xeex Sibbiru” concert in Pikine, Senegal this past weekend and gives an insider’s view to the concert itself—on his blog, Dakar Calling.

Check out the blog and see a quick video clip below: