UNICEF Makes Music Video Reminding People Not to Shit Outside
More than 620 million Indians, or half the country's population, defecate openly outside on a daily basis, a public nuisance and health threat that the country has been trying to shut down. But UNICEF has a plan: an animated fever nightmare of a chart topper called "Poo Party."
The song, written by the folktronic artist Shri, who composed the theme song for Life of Pi, is—spoiler alert—completely about fecal matter. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Hindi lyrics refer to famous landmarks in India that deserve to be clean.
And while the video strives for levity, the poop problem is a serious one—close to 143 million pounds daily.
Open defecation is a serious public-health problem. It can expose people to diseases such as polio, giardiasis, hepatitis A and infectious diarrhea. In 2012, nearly a quarter of all young children who died of diarrhea world-wide were Indian. Constant exposure to fecal germs can also lead to stunted growth, a condition afflicting some 61 million Indian children.
UNICEF says around 28 million children still attend schools without toilet facilities.