The rhythms of Africa were on full display as Nigerian singer Yemi Alade performed a colorful rendition of her 2019 hit song ‘Shekere’ (which features Angelique Kidjo) at Global Goal: Unite for Our Future — The Concert.
Alongside a full band that featured traditional African instruments like the talking drum, Alade delivered a regal performance of “Shekere” — a song about finding reasons to dance and be happy when it doesn’t seem like there should be one.
The Global Goal: Unite for Our Future concert on June 27 marked the culmination of a campaign where Global Citizens called on world leaders to support the development and equitable distribution of COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines to everyone, everywhere.
“I dey hear the sound of a tambourine o, Talking drums and shekere combination
I see people under the tambourine o, Dancing like sey there's a celebration,” sang Yemi Alade, her voice encouraging us all to keep hope alive.
It's a great call because there is reason to be hopeful. At Global Goal: Unite for Our Future — The Summit, held earlier in the day on Saturday, world leaders including South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, alongside dozens of others, came together to pledge funds for the equitable access of COVID-19 solutions.
Under the patronage of the European Commission, the “Global Goal: Unite for Our Future” campaign has mobilized more than $1.5 billion in new grants and $5.4 billion in loans and guarantees, for a monumental total of $6.9 billion pledged to provide equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments, and vaccines, as well as support for the world’s poorest and most marginalised communities.
To put an end to the COVID-19 pandemic globally, we need to urgently develop tests, treatments, and vaccines, and we have also got to ensure that these anti-COVID-19 tools reach everyone, everywhere, equally.
Join the movement to fight COVID-19 by taking action here to support our Global Goal: Unite for Our Future campaign. You can find out more about COVID-19, how its impacts are being felt around the world, and how we can all contribute to the effort to put a stop to the pandemic through Global Citizen’s coverage here.