Music in the New Strategy of Arts and Health of the WHO European Region: Applicability of One Song in a NGDO

Music in the New Strategy of Arts and Health of the WHO European Region: Applicability of One Song in a NGDO

1. Ascensión Olcina Simón

   MOS Solidaria, Cullera, Spain

   María José Blasco Grau

   MOS Solidaria, Cullera, Spain

   Raquel A. González-Santana

   Unit of Nutrition. Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Legal Medicine, University of València, València, Spain

   María Morales-Suarez-Varela1,2

   1Unit of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, Food Sciences, Toxicology and Forensic Medicine, University of Valencia, Burjassot, Spain.

   2CIBER in Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Institute of Health Carlos III, Madrid, Spain.

   Nadia San Onofre3,4

   3 Observatory of Nutrition and Food Safety in Developing Countries, Food & Health Lab, Institute of Materials Science, University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain.

   4Department of Community Nursing, Preventive Medicine and Public Health and History of Science, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain.

   Jose M. Soriano5,6

   5Observatory of Nutrition and Food Safety in Developing Countries, Food & Health Lab, Institute of Materials Science, University of Valencia, Paterna, Spain.

   6Joint Research Unit on Endocrinology, Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, University of Valencia-Health Research Institute La Fe, 46026 Valencia, Spain

   Abstract Recently, the combination of arts and health, as strategic tool, has been viewed with great interest in the WHO European Region to be applied in the development cooperation. In this manuscript, we have developed a song from non- governmental development organization (NGDO) with the objective to regulate mood, increase productivity and relationship with health in Ethiopia. In fact, this song is a hymn, in the development cooperation, to workers and patients, singing which with more interest than some local songs.

   Keywords Non-governmental development organization (NGDO); song; music; WHO European Region.

   1. INTRODUCTION

      Nowadays, five types of music, including patriotic music, classical music, hymns, popular songs of foreign origin, and Christmas songs, are justified to illustrate the deep and diverse influences these genres have on popular culture in different countries [1,2]. Furthermore, people are looking inspirational songs, based in the previous classification, with the aim of performing daily activities, as regulate mood [3], and/or increase productivity [4]. In fact, songs can raise spirits, with difficult times, to achieve something deeply important [5]. In 2019, Fancourt and Finn [6] evidenced the potential value of the arts in contributing to core determinants of health as are playing a critical role in health promotion; helping to prevent the onset of mental illness and age-related physical decline; supporting the treatment or management of mental illness, noncommunicable diseases and neurological disorders; and assisting in acute and end-of-life care. In fact, these authors noted a large divergence between countries to make use of the arts to support health and well-being, and recommended to use the Fancourt and Finn report [6] to direct a number of policy

      considerations for members of the WHO European Region to support the development of long-term policies or strategies that will provide more synergized collaboration between health and arts sectors that could realize the potential of the arts for improving global health. According to Ryynanen [7], the arts are classified as nine, including painting, architecture, sculpture, literature, music, performing, cinema, film and comics. Some of them are combined as dance that is music expressed through motion or song that is music with literature and voice [8].

      This work wanted to create a song focused on a non- governmental development organization (NGDO), known as MOSS [9], which carried out activities in various countries such as Spain, Saharawi refugee camps and Ethiopia [10]. This study aims to help in the collaboration between music and health, according to the report of the WHO European Region [6], to regulate mood and/or increase productivity in development cooperation activities.

   2. MATERIALS AND METHODS Experience of this NGDO has helped to María José

      Blasco Grau and M. Ascensión Olcina Simón to create lyric and music, respectively, of song in Spanish language, being translated, in English, by Raquel A. González-Santana, Nadia San Onofre, María Morales-Suarez-Varela and Jose M. Soriano. Furthermore, we have assessed the applicability of this song, according to the scoping review from Fancourt and Finn [6], and discussed, with other articles and several studies, the efficacy as tool collaborative between music and health to regulate mood and/or increase productivity.

   3. RESULTS

      Lyric and music of song were written by M. Ascensión Olcina Simón and María José Blasco Grau, respectively. The song was applied as registration number V-1542-2017 and accepted in the Spanish General Registry of Intellectual Property with the entry number 09/2018/1178. Lyric is demonstrated in Table 1 in Spanish and English languages.

      TABLE I. Spanish and English lyrics for the song Somos muchos más/We are many more

      mas.

      Ha llegado el momento de amar, ha llegado el momento de respetar ha llegado el momento de la verdad.

      No estamos solos, Somos muchos mas.

      Somos muchos mas,

      Somos, somos, muchos mas, Somos muchos mas,

      Somos muchos mas.

      the time has come to respect the moment of truth has come.

      We are not alone, we are many more.

      The time has come to love,

      the time has come to respect the moment of truth has come.

      We are not alone, we are many more.

      We are many more

      We are, we are, many more, we are many more,

      We are many more.

      Lyrics in Spanish	Lyrics in English
      Toma mi mano,	Take my hand,
      caminemos juntos,	let's walk together,
      dejame aprender de ti y seguir tus	let me learn from you and follow
      pasos.	in your footsteps.
      Si tu pasas hambre, yo te doy pan,	If you go hungry, I give you
      tu a cambio me das la razon de	bread,
      luchar.	you in return give me the reason
      Toma mi mano,	to fight,
      caminemos juntos, ensename el camino hacia la verdad y si tu sufres yo te puedo consolar, si yo no siento ni veo, tu me puedes despertar.	Take my hand, let's walk together, Show me the way to the truth and if you suffer I can comfort you, if I don't feel nor do I see,
      Ha llegado el momento de amar,	you can wake me up.
      ha llegado el momento de
      respetar, ha llegado el momento,	The time has come to love
      de la verdad.	The time has come to respect, the
      	time has come, of the truth.
      No estamos solos, Somos muchos
      mas
      Toma mi mano,	We are not alone, we are many
      Caminemos juntos,	more.
      Vamos en busca de la gualdad y
      la paz.	Take my hand,
      	Let's walk together,
      Si tu estas enfermo,	We go in search of equality and
      Quizas te pueda ayudar,	peace.
      Necesito de ti para poderme guiar.
      Toma mi mano, Caminemos juntos, Dame tu mano, A tu lado quiero estar.	If you are sick, Maybe I can help you I need you to guide me.
      Juntos podemos ser mas fuertes ante la adversidad Se que los suenos se pueden alcanzar.	Take my hand, Let's walk together, Give me your hand, By your side I want to be
      Ha llegado el momento de amar, ha llegado el momento de respetar ha llegado el momento de la verdad.	Together we can be stronger in the face of adversity I know dreams can come true reach.
      No estamos solos, somos muchos	The time has come to love

      On 11 December 2020, videoclip was entitled 99 photographs and one song and uploaded on Youtube [11] to aim at encouraging users to know the work developed by the NGDO, called MOS Solidaria [9]. Videoclip had a 450- minute duration with photographs obtained from M. Ascensión Olcina Simón and Foundation Emalaikat [12]. Furthermore all rights were ceded to the solidarity cause of this NGDO. Several clips of this videoclip are shown in Figure 1.

      Vid e oclips time

      450 -minute duration

      Fig. 1. Clips of videoclip of the studied song demonstrated on Youtube [11].

      The use of this song in Ethiopia has allowed 100% of the workers and users (n=101), of the nutritional center in Ethiopia [13], which is coordinated by the Missionary Community St. Paul Apostle [14], together with collaboration of MOS Solidaria, to help increases their productivity, regulates their state of mind, well-being and quality of life, which has allowed the song to be a hymn of development cooperation for MOS Solidaria which is sung with more interest than some local songs. It reflected that this song may be an effective health communication strategy for development cooperation activities to increase the efficacy in the mood and/or increase productivity, according to Fancourt and Finn [6].

   4. DISCUSSION

In our study, song was created in Valencian Community (Spain), but adapted with a hymn in the development cooperation in Gimbichu (Ethiopia). In Valencian Community, others NGDOs, as are Arts Cultura y Desarrollo (Arts Culture and Development) [15] and Músicos por la Salud (Musicians for Health) [16] worked in the use of culture/music and music/health, respectively, applied in the development cooperation.

In last years, health communication strategy is detected in literature. In the Gambia, McConnell [17] observed as music facilitated the communication of sensitive health information. Gravlie [18] used the power of music as an agent of change in children and youth in several countries in Africa, Asia, South America and Middle East. In fact, several clusters or networks have been created to strengthen the union between various countries or regions, as are India/Switzerland [19], Sino/Italian relations [20] or the Swedish-South African Research Newtwork [21], among others. On the other hand, in Nigeria, music helped to develop skills, innate and instinctive talent in human being [22], to treat drug addiction in Germany, Central Asian countries (Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan) and China [23] or development an artistic talent as a human right [24].

In 2006, the UNESCO published UESCO Convention on the Protection and Promotion of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions [25] reflecting the importance to give cultural agendas an equal status alongside economic, social and environmental issues that currently determine policy for development. According to this UNESCOs idea, Aylett [26] studied as cultural agendas can give an equal status alongside economic, social and environmental issues that currently determine policy for development. This author suggested that although the instrument will have to be tested legally, it provides the framework for national policy to build sustainable infrastructures in recognition that diversity of cultural expressions is central to the well-being of societies. Furthermore, Fancourt and Finn [6], according to the report of the WHO European Region, indicated three important considerations, to implement music/health policies, being i) to acknowledge the growing evidence base for the role of the arts in improving health and well-being, ii) to recognize the added health value of engagement with the arts, and iii) note the cross-sectoral nature of the arts and health.

In Ethiopia, the music has been used in the development cooperation area, Teffera [27] explained the importance of compilation of both international and local (Ethiopian) song albums released between the 1960s and 70s. Bayable [28] assessed Ethiopian folk media, including music, songs, dances, campfire storytelling, traditional motifs, fairs and festivals, in the Guna Community (Ahmara region) for environmental communication. Ray [29] recompiled the oral sung poetry of the Afar pastoralists of Ethiopia.

In conclusion, the music is as tool in development cooperation is useful to regulate mood, increase productivity and relationship with health in development cooperation.

FUNDING

This research was funded by MOS Solidaria, grant number GeNaPi_1. Nadia San Onofre was supported by the Universidad de Alicante, Ministerio de Universidades and the

European Union NextGeneration EU/PRTR through 2022 2024 Margarita Salas grant (MARSALAS22-23).

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