Fastjet, (Red) and Oliver Mtukudzi team up in the fight for an Aids-free generation
The track combines modern dance music with Mtukudzi's powerful vocals, with an underlay of traditional guitar riffs and beats. "The appeal in the song lies in the cross-generational impact that I hope it will have," says Mtukudzi. "The more sales we have, the more funds we can generate to continue spreading the word about HIV prevention."
There is still much work to be done
Mtukudzi has campaigned to support the fight against Aids over the past couple of decades. He said: "We have all been impacted by the disease in some way or another, and a continued concerted global effort to support prevention efforts has to be sustained."
Every two minutes a teenage becomes infected with HIV, so raising funds for programmes that offer prevention, testing and treatment services is critical. While progress in the Aids fight is strong, there is much work still to do. The number of babies born every day with HIV has fallen by two thirds over the past decade, and with sustained global efforts that number can be near zero by 2020.
The campaign was developed with Content Connect Africa (CCA), one of the largest mobile content providers in Africa. Led by a doyenne of the music industry, Antos Stella, CCA will be managing all aspects of Holiday's distribution and royalty collections. "This is one of the most exciting music projects to originate on the continent for quite some time," says Stella. "As Africans, African companies and African artists we are assuming the reigns and doing something positive for our own people. To me, that is our ambition as a company and makes every moment of this project worthwhile." The company also produced the track.
Contributing to an Aids-free generation
Fastjet Chief Executive Officer Nico Bezuidenhout said; "It is our duty as Africans to continue contributing to the growth of our continent while ensuring a sustainable future for everyone. Partnering with (Red) and Oliver Mtukudzi for the Holiday project is our first step as brand toward contributing to an Aids-free generation."
He adds that Fastjet is an airline by Africans for Africans and that it is time for the continent's home-grown brands to step up to the challenge. "Solutions for Africa should be home-grown and as an active participant in the continent's economy, we intend being equally active socially."
Holiday, released on 15 November, will be available on shortcode as a caller tune in South Africa, Zimbabwe, Zambia and Mozambique, as well as on iTunes and other digital platforms.
