Superhero Coronavirus Campaign Launched in Haiti

Today marks the launch of a national campaign in Haiti using superheroes and a comic book format to help reduce the spread of the coronavirus. The country’s infection curve has yet to begin the exponential rise experienced elsewhere, with 62 confirmed cases and four deaths reported (albeit with extremely limited testing to date). Getting the population to adopt prevention measures now is unquestionably going to save lives moving forward. Comic book artist Thony Loui has taken up this challenge using his superhero creations Tanama and Djatawo, along with recognizable Haitian street, market and home scenes, to highlight the importance of wearing masks, social distancing, hand washing and staying home.

“We are thrilled have developed the health messages for this campaign,” noted Dr. Nat Segaren, who heads the Caris Foundation in Haiti and their USAID-sponsored Santé project, “and to have a young Haitian comic artist working with us to get it to the widest possible audience.”

The campaign images (in English below, and click here for Creole) are consolidated into a printed brochure as well as being circulated via Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. They are also being used as part of a targeted awareness campaign using WhatsApp and email listservs to reach thousands of community health agents, Boy Scouts, faith-based health networks, hospital workers, school leaders and NGOs throughout Haiti.
The images have been turned into comic pages ready for coloring by students unable to go to school for the moment. These individual comic pages can be downloaded and are about to be printed in hardcopy for distribution. An animation of Tanama donning a mask and washing her hands will begin circulating via social media within a week, and expect to see some very high profile Haitian celebrities joining her.
Also joining the Caris Foundation in this effort is the Smallholder Farmers Alliance, which supported Thony Loui in last month’s launch of the Tanama Project, and the Raising Haiti Foundation, which is building a broad coalition of organizations to  fight the spread of Covid-19.
The following images appear in sets of two on social media, noting that these are the English translations of the Creole versions being circulated in Haiti.
Regards,
Hugh Locke
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