Former England international, David Beckham, has spoken in Yoruba language in a recorded appeal to end malaria.
In the 55-second Malaria Must Die, So Millions Can Live campaign video, Beckham begins in English saying: “Malaria isn’t just any disease. It’s the deadliest disease there’s ever been.”
The former football star is then made to appear to be talking in sync with the voices of men and women from around the world – including malaria survivors and doctors fighting the disease.
The father of four was, through AI video synthesis technology, given the voices of eight persons who spoke in Spanish, Kinyarwanda, Arabic, French, Hindi, Mandarin, Kiswahili and Yoruba.
The languages represent the parts of the world affected by malaria in both the past and present.
Beckham ends the video in English, saying: “Speak up and say ‘malaria must die’. One voice can be powerful, but all of our voices together? Then they will have to listen.”
The 43-year-old is a founding member of the Malaria No More UK Leadership Council.
He said: “I have been working with Malaria No More UK for over 10 years and to be a part of this campaign and to help share some of the real stories behind malaria is really important to me.
“Dr Elvis Eze, who was with us on set, has suffered with malaria many times and, as a doctor, he has seen how dangerous this disease can be.
“For me, it was so important to learn how he is using his experiences to raise awareness of malaria with young people in the UK and abroad.”
