Chipinge schoolgirl’s Covid-19 powerful poem Flight Rufaro Mlambo

Leroy Dzenga Features Writer

Whenever the world is faced by a crisis, young voices emerge to give a full picture of the threat facing mankind.

At the 2019 United Nations Climate Action Summit, Swede teenager Greta Thunberg stunned the world when she delivered a speech which shook world leaders.

She used her voice to communicate her displeasure on the world’s laxity on environmental issues.

Thunberg earned herself global recognition and a seat in places where climate change is topical.

In dissimilar fashion but with similar results, a seven-year-old Zimbabwean has used her voice to raise awareness on a pressing global health concern.

Flight Rufaro Mlambo (pictured), a grade one learner at Mt Selinda Primary in Chipinge has become an internet sensation after reciting a captivating Ndau poem on Covid-19.

The video which has since gone viral carries a crisp presentation of how the virus is threatening lives across the world.

Her message which was intended for her age mates has transcended audiences triggering conversations even beyond her peers.

In the poem, simply titled ‘‘Corona’’, she makes a reflection on the impact the virus has had in a short space of time.

Covid-19 has been a matter of public concern for about four months now but it has infected more than one million and killed more than 64 000.

“We have seen HIV, cholera and Ebola but we have not seen something like Covid-19,” Mlambo said in the poem which has since been translated.

Mlambo makes biblical allusions in her poem, posing a rhetorical question if this scourging Covid-19 is the same as the crown (referred to as korona in Shona) which is promised to hard workers in the Bible.

“Is it what we used to sing in church, that when we are done with work, we will get crowns (korona).

‘‘If that is the case, may this episode spare us,” she said.

Mlambo, with minimal resources, a smartphone and her voice, created a captivating message on Covid-19.

Sometimes when messages are created officially, they are made in main languages but do not cascade to intricate dialects.

There were concerns that the messaging on Covid-19 was not well spread across the country beyond the big cities.

Mlambo’s recital shows how citizens can be innovative and produce content they know their communities will resonate with.

In a comical manner she discouraged gatherings and encouraged good hygiene as well as cough etiquette, in a way consistent with what health professionals have been saying.

Mlambo joins the community of unknown and well known creatives who have since released content raising awareness on Covid-19.

Reggae artiste, Ras Caleb has released a song called ‘‘Zviratidzo Zvenguva’’ in which he lent his voice to the cry against the devastating virus which has ground the world to a standstill.

Poetry has been an effective tool of communicating health messages within schools and communities.

In the early 2000s, there were a number of HIV and Aids poems performed by school children, they helped in confronting stigma.

Mlambo’s piece shows that the culture of artistic health communication is still alive in communities.

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