By: Olívio Gambo, WHO Angola Communication Officer.
Every year, we receive birthday messages, blow out the candles, gather with family and friends, or give thanks for another year of life. It is one of the most universal moments of the human experience. Regardless of age, religion, or social status, there is something deeply symbolic about celebrating a birthday: the recognition that life goes on and deserves to be celebrated.
However, some time ago, a simple question occurred to me: if birthdays exist to celebrate life, why don’t we use this moment to look after it as well?
Although the question may seem trie live, make decisions, and form habits. In his book *This Is Marketing*, Seth Godin defines culture as the set of behaviors that characterize a group. We celebrate birthdays because others do so. We give presents because we’ve learned that’s what one does. We repeat traditions because they help reinforce our sense of belonging
Culture is not confined to history books or museums. It is present in the small, everyday choices we make, often without a second thought. This is precisely why culture remains one of the most powerful tools for transforming societies.
Throughout history, many social practices have evolved as communities have come to value new behaviors. The same has happened with the way we dress, eat, raise our children, and look after our health. When a behavior is widely accepted and valued, it tends to spread and become a new collective habit.
Health is one of the best examples of this phenomenon. Today, we know that living longer and better does not depend solely on hospitals or medicines. It also depends on what we do daily: our diet, physical activity, basic sanitation, the quality of our housing, access to safe drinking water, adequate rest, and preventative care.
It is precisely this that has enabled communities such as Okinawa in Japan to achieve one of the highest life expectancies in the world. For decades, habits associated with a balanced diet, strong social interaction, regular physical activity, and a healthy lifestyle have been embedded in the local culture and passed down from generation to generation.
In Rwanda, a commitment to a strong culture of solidarity in the health sector has significantly increased access to primary healthcare, strengthened prevention, and contributed to major improvements in various health indicators.
These examples show that culture does not merely influence the way we live. It also influences the way we fall ill, prevent disease, and protect our families.
That is why I believe Angola has an interesting opportunity to enrich the way it celebrates life. No one is suggesting that we replace the cake, the birthday wishes, or the moments of togetherness that make birthdays special. The challenge is to add something extra.
What if, alongside the traditional gifts, we started giving something that promotes health? A blood pressure monitor, for example. A set of bathroom scales. A basket of fruit. Or a simple invitation to go for a family walk.
What if a birthday were used as an opportunity to encourage a medical check-up? To talk about healthy eating? To encourage someone to give up smoking? To remind them of the importance of using mosquito nets or taking regular exercise? It may seem like a small thing. However, major cultural changes almost always begin with small gestures repeated over time.
The psychologist Albert Bandura demonstrated that we learn by observing others. When groups value positive behaviors, more people tend to adopt them. In short, what is socially valued eventually becomes socially replicated.
At a time when Angola is simultaneously facing communicable diseases and a worrying rise in non-communicable diseases, such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular diseases, prevention must play an increasingly central role in our individual and collective choices.
However robust it may be, no healthcare system can compensate for the impact of healthy habits that millions of citizens practice daily. Perhaps therein lies a simple yet powerful opportunity: to transform a birthday into a celebration not only of the life we have already lived, but also of the life we still wish to live. Celebrating life is important. However, looking after it may be the best way to do so.
This article was first published in Jornal de Angola, a version of which can be found here: https://www.jornaldeangola.ao/noticias/9/opini%C3%A3o/687784/por-uma-no…
