Momtaz joins forces with Brac to raise awareness about coronavirus

Dear people of my country/ Artist Momtaz is here/ Favourite with all of you/ Sharing a great feeling of mine/ When my friend coming back to homeland/ Thoughtful for good of others/ Locks himself up in home/ For 14 days on/ Wraps me in with/ A true feeling of goodness...

Thus flows the messages to tackle Covid-19 from the sweet voice of Momtaz, the famed singer who has long earned the moniker "queen of folk" from millions of fans from home and abroad. 

As a part of its effort to inform the masses about the protocols of social distancing, hand washing and respiratory hygiene to help tackle the pandemic, Brac has paired with the eminent singer.

The Brac communication team inked the lyrics of the songs while the video is director Labik Kamal Gourob's brainchild. According to information from officials, the song was launched on the Facebook pages of Brac and Channel I on March 31 midnight.

The catchy tune of the song has already attracted a great number of audiences after it was played on loudspeakers in cities, towns and villages across the country.

This is part of Brac's ongoing public awareness and behavioural change campaigns to limit the spread and social transmission of coronavirus. 

The message in the form of a song is being relayed extensively in rural areas by the BRAC frontline staff, reinforced through miking, social media and mass media promotion. The song is also being played through 16 community radio networks across Bangladesh.

The song was aimed at creating awareness among people and having an impact on society to help the masses adopt lifestyle changes to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus.

Brac has also paired with noted folk musician Kuddus Boyati as part of its series of spreading digital and social media messaging content for adopting relevant lifestyle changes. 

Artist Momtaz Begum, who is also a sitting Member of Parliament, said, "It is our duty to come forward during this national crisis and help people in any way we can."

Moutushi Kabir, director, Communications and Outreach of Brac and Brac International, said "The most important arms to fight the pandemic at present is public awareness and change in our daily lifestyle behavior.

BRAC is actively supporting the Government of Bangladesh and partnering with a wide number of private sector and non-governmental organisations to contain the spread of the virus. We are grateful for popular artists like Momtaz Begum and Kuddus Boyati who have come forward to help us spread the messages to the mass, especially in semi-urban and rural areas." 

Moutushi Kabir also stressed that joint initiatives should be undertaken in efforts to invalidate the spread of fear and rumours concerning coronavirus symptoms that is often barring people with fever and breathing difficulties from seeking professional treatment.