Ignore deepfake videos using African celebrities and doctors to promote non-existent joint pain cures
IN SHORT: Two videos circulating on Facebook falsely advertise "miracle" cures for joint pain. But they're using deepfake technology to manipulate footage of well-known African-linked personalities such as Lupita Nyong'o and Angelique Kidjo to make it seem as if they are endorsing the products.
In a video made to look like a Citizen TV news broadcast, anchor Jamila Mohammed appears to report on Dr Godwin Maduka's supposed cure for joint pain.
Mohammed is a respected Kenyan journalist and anchor at Citizen TV. Maduka is a Nigerian-American doctor who founded the Las Vegas Pain Institute and Medical Center.
The video claims that the product "saved Angelique Kidjo from a wheelchair".
Angelique Kidjo is a celebrated singer and activist from Benin who lives in the US. The video shows Kidjo giving what seems to be a personal testimonial about how the product cured her of severe pain in her back, knees, and neck that had left her unable to walk. The video includes a clip of her in a wheelchair.
The video then cuts to Maduka, who seemingly promotes the product as a safe and affordable gel to relieve joint pain.
The second video follows a similar pattern. Celebrated Kenyan-Mexican Hollywood actor Lupita Nyong'o appears to share a story about being disabled by joint pain and having to use a wheelchair.
The video also shows her in a wheelchair. She then credits Dr Maxwell Okoth with a product that she says completely cured her.
Okoth is a Kenyan doctor known for founding the Ruai Family Hospital.
The video then cuts to Okoth endorsing the same product and encouraging viewers to buy it.
Together, these two videos have been viewed at least 278,000 times on Facebook.
Joint pain is a common health problem worldwide, and its prevalence is increasing in Kenya. Many injuries and conditions, such as arthritis, can cause joint pain. While there is no single cure for all joint pain, it can be managed with treatments and lifestyle changes.
But are these celebrity claims of effective cures for joint pain genuine? We checked.
Videos are deepfakes
A combination of keyword and reverse image searches revealed that the clips were created by altering the original footage of the featured personalities.
The original videos of Kidjo, Maduka, Nyong'o and Okoth are publicly available online. They don't mention joint pain or endorse any products. The original videos are identical to the Facebook videos except for the words and lip movements. This proves that deepfake technology was used on the original videos to create the fake footage.
A deepfake is a type of video in which someone, often a public figure, is impersonated using artificial intelligence tools to make it look as if the person is saying or doing something they haven't said or done.
Both videos follow almost identical scripts, proving that they are scam scripts. They falsely claim that these celebrities were once in severe pain, used wheelchairs and were later miraculously cured by these products.
Africa Check debunked a similar fake video involving Okoth, this time claiming to have cured former Kenyan president Uhuru Kenyatta of similar joint pain problems. Okoth issued a public statement distancing himself from such scams.
The videos in question also show common signs of health scams. They oversimplify the causes of joint pain, promise quick and cheap "miracle cures", and discourage viewers from trusting proper medical advice. They use urgency, shaming, false promises and conspiracy theories to pressure viewers into buying their products.
The claim that these videos show cures for joint pain endorsed by celebrities is false. They are deepfakes designed to mislead vulnerable people into buying dubious products.