CRI听力:African Artists Record Ebola Awareness Alternative to Band Aid's Song

Some of Africa's top musicians have released "Africa Stop Ebola", an alternative awareness song to Band Aid's new recording of "Do They Know It's Christmas", with proceeds also going to the fight against the virus that has killed more than five-thousand people in West Africa this year.

The new release features a mixture of rap and melodies that are distinctive to West Africa and urges people to take Ebola seriously.

Bob Geldof's update of "Do They Know It's Christmas" has been criticized for its lyrics, which include bells clanging "chimes of doom" and a world of "dread and fear/where a kiss of love can kill you".

Congolese singer Barbara Kanam, who sang for "Africa Stop Ebola," had this to say.

"We always hear that negative things come from Africa, Africa is poverty but Africa is not only poor, it is not a continent where you only find Ebola, there are other things which happen there, there are artists capable of coming together, we are not going to wait for Europeans or Americans to come and sing for Ebola."

The song's producer says "Africa Stop Ebola" has sold 250 thousand copies since its unofficial release earlier this month, with all proceeds going to medical charity Doctors without Borders.