Promoting Dementia Awareness Through Music: An International Collaboration
#DOROTHYCOFUND fellow Dr Purity Mwendwa, PhD,
is raising dementia awareness in #Kenya through her project ENGAGE, using creative arts to challenge stigma.
Recently, she partnered with the Mwirine Methodist Church choir in #Meru to adapt “We Will Tell Everyone”— a song originally created in Ireland by Dr Lisa Kelly, Carl Corcoran, and the Memory Lane Heroes (people living with dementia and their care partners). The song, born from Dr Kelly’s PhD research, promotes understanding and inclusion and was co-funded by PPI Ignite@UL, The Alzheimer Society of Ireland, and The Irish World Academy of Music and Dance.
Dr Mwendwa wrote new lyrics in the local language (“Tukeera migongo yonthe”), emphasising that dementia is not a normal part of ageing or linked to witchcraft — a common misconception in Kenya. The message: spread awareness across all generations.
