Musician Wins Prize for Songs About Sanitation

Most musicians want fortune, fame, a bowlful of after-show M&Ms with the brown ones removed, and the license to smash up hotel rooms whenever they feel like it. Not Feliciano dos Santos: He just wants people to wash their hands.

By Kathryn Hawkins. Posted on April 21 2008

It doesn’t sound very rock ‘n roll to us, but Santos believes that music is about more than living the high life –it’s also a great way to promote the issues he cares about. “I started using music when I realized that it was a good way to send a message and bring people together,” he told BBC News.

Santos uses his music to share messages about issues central to his native country, particularly the problem of poor hygiene. Santos grew up in an area rife with disease due to filthy water and poor sanitation; he’s hoping that by spreading the word on ways to improve hygiene, he can keep his countrymen healthy.

His first major project, in 1992, was a song to promote the use of slab latrines. “The lyrics were: ‘Mothers, listen to me; grandmothers, listen to me, she doesn’t listen to me. The slab is so good; the slab is easy to clean.’” Santos said. The tune must have been pretty catchy: After the single’s release, toilet sales soared throughout the country.

Since 1996, Santos has run a nonprofit organization called Estamos, which uses music to address issues such as keeping a clean home, and to illustrate how poor hygiene can cause disease. The group promotes eco-friendly ways to improve hygiene, focusing on helping the residents of Santos’ province, Niassa.

Santos’ efforts to promote good hygiene through his music haven’t gone unnoticed: On Monday, he received a Goldman Environmental Prize (“the Nobel Prize of grassroots environmentalism,” says BBC News), along with $150,000 in prize money.

We’ve got a feeling that Santos won’t be spending that cash on expensive champagne –he’d be more likely to splurge on soap. “Let’s not talk about the money, let’s do things that can change the world,” he said. “Don’t think about awards, think about quality of life.”

And next time you go to the bathroom, think of him –and wash your hands.

Filed under: Arts and Culture, Green, Heroes, Weird,

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