Tag: #workshop
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
Surviving Ebola: The Real Battle Begins once You’ve Beaten the Disease by Fatou Wurie
This article was originally published on The Journalist. Read the original article here.
Ebola is an infectious and generally fatal disease. It’s marked by fever and severe internal bleeding, spread through contact with infected body fluids. The countries of Sierra Leone and Guinea on Africa’s West Coast have been especially hard hit with about 4 000 people dying since the start of the outbreak a couple of years ago. The writer participated in the recent Writing for Social Change Workshop in Kampala – an annual event of The African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF) in collaboration with FEMRITE, the Uganda Women Writers Association.
Five years ago I was sexually assaulted and I call myself a survivor. I live in a country where this word survivor is thrown around like confetti. Just another term for global consumption. A euphemism for scars, underneath which lurks the pain of the Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) outbreak that hit Sierra Leone.
There is a silver lining to the horrific experience. Not everyone died. But now we have to face up to a reality that survivors are often re-victimised. People lack a rational explanation. Lack a sense of agency to deal with the trauma. So their responses become irrational, and often cruel.
As a survivor of trauma I know this all too well. For those, especially the women, who have survived Ebola the real battle has just begun. Now they have to pick up the pieces of their lives.
Mamusu Mansaray, a 30-year-old, is animated. We sit across from one another. She bounces around a bit in her chair, attempting to make herself more comfortable. She recalls her experience, talking repeatedly about the fear.
“When I began to fall sick I got scared to call 117 (emergency service). We heard that those who were taken away by Ebola ambulances didn’t return. And when I finally found myself in an ambulance and taken to a treatment centre I was so, so scared that I would die in the ambulance like everyone else. I was sure I was going to die, laying there in the ambulance with other people who were sick too.”
Fear Paralyses
Fear often paralyses one during a crisis. This is what I recall after my own assault. Fear nested in every crevice of my body. Fear paralysing the physical pain yet amplifying the experience enough for it to be forever etched in my memory. I remember the feeling of becoming just another statistic. Then feeling calm in fleeting moments. But soon the tears would appear of their own accord. But for the most part, I remember feeling incredibly scared. The journey out of physical pain was a long and arduous one, with symptoms that till this day appear unexpectedly. The road towards emotional recovery? Well, it will take a lifetime. Perhaps.
Rabiatu Kalokoh is 23 years old. She contracted Ebola through a pastor’s anointing oil while treating a pregnant girl that was ill in her community. She remembers:
“One morning in the bathroom I started bleeding heavily down there. I knew it wasn’t my period because it wasn’t the time. I called for my grandmother who got angry and asked me what I had done to myself. I told her nothing, I hadn’t done anything but she was really angry at me.”
Women & Girls Most Vulnerable
In the role as primary care-givers culturally and socially, women and girls are most vulnerable during health epidemics. In Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone women have also been the least supported as effective social mobilisers, as health workers, as community leaders and now as survivors.
During the Ebola outbreak heroic acts surpassed gender, tribe, race and nationality. It has been a case of humanity acting for humanity. Yet, women and girls remain the bearers of the burden. Bone-deep existing social issues like high illiteracy rates, frail health care systems and gendered economic disparities were thrown into sharp relief due to Ebola. Adequate social, economic and political, gender-targeted responses to these social fractures have been slow. It has made ‘surviving’ the disease only half of the battle for many women who have contracted Ebola.
Women in Sierra Leone were disproportionately affected by Ebola because of gendered roles within our society. We are the primary custodians of care for our families and communities. In the health care system women make up the majority, acting as nurses and maternal and child health aids (MCH) in community clinics and larger hospitals.
Flawed Health Care
Nurse Adiatu Pujeh’s story is a testament to effects of a health care system that delayed providing adequate Infection Prevention Control (IPC) training and equipment to health care personnel.
Adiatu walks with a limp and a spark in her eyes. Meeting her for the first time you know that she is one who beats the odds every time. She and four of her colleagues, all female nurses, contracted Ebola in November 2014. She is the only one who survived.
“Three days after I was discharged and came out alive, I went back to work. I didn’t want anyone else to suffer the way I had suffered. I went back to work. Look, I’ve survived a car accident and have a plate in my arm and I have survived Ebola. God clearly doesn’t want me yet! So, even though it has been very hard, I am still here and will continue to do what I can to save lives”.
As survivors of trauma we gravitate towards others. Extending understanding and empathy becomes part of who we have become. I choose to play my part in assisting women and young girls who have survived Ebola through art and advocacy with the hope that something good, something positive could grow. Reaping a positive harvest from an experience that dances with death.
Survivors & Shame
After my own assault I was surrounded by resources, colleagues and access to counseling that initiated the process of healing. I was completing my studies at university. In short I had many more privileges and access than many women in Sierra Leone will ever have. Even then, self-inflicted shame prevailed in social structures that either boxed me into a rape statistic or demanded I prove an unassailable narrative. But the experience to this day remains fragmented, culturally damaging and personally dehumanising.
So much has been asked of Ebola survivors. To share their stories, to utilise their experiences for social good, to speak when requested to speak, to become caricatures of the trauma or not speak about it at all. The women and young girls in our programme, The Survivor Dream Project, are Ebola survivors who have relayed feeling isolated and betrayed by people close to them. Their most intimate experiences are made public for intake without tangible, sustainable social support.
Adiatu the nurse still feels stigmatised:
“I filmed my story when I just came out of the treatment centre and after that, I could not go to the market for months. Every time I go to the market they call me the Ebola woman. Even at work, where I caught the virus it’s taken a while. I still get the looks”.
As a survivor of another type of traumatic event these realities resonate with a deep understanding that the Ebola Survivors of Sierra Leone face heightened social structural barriers; access to quality health care, quality education, safe space for dialogue and sustained economic support.
Survivor Dream Project
This is how The Survivor Dream Project came to be. It is our way of exposing the hidden reality of ‘surviving’ which is the ability to pick up the pieces of life when all is destroyed. It is about designing a localised programme to assist in building capacity for women and girls who have survived Ebola to become economically empowered. To address the lack of access to quality health care services and to cultivate a safe space for heart-to-heart skin-to-skin discussions. It is about supporting women and young girls garner strength to push through stigma and not be defined by Ebola, to not remain a statistic. Most importantly, to remind our policy makers and the world that we still fail our women, we still fail to cultivate social systems conducive to gender based right to dignity, social and economic growth and empowerment.
The Survivor Dream Project is about nourishing the dreams of our women in the programme. Five years from now, where will the 20 women in the project be? What type of positive change would have occurred? In what part of their bodies and psyche will this trauma reside? These questions for any survivor are difficult to conceptualise without a safe space and system dedicated to nurturing them, so that it becomes possible to envision a future where they did not only survive, but bloomed.
Fatou Wurie is a health communications and policy advocacy activist, writer and photographer. Her work has been featured on the Huffington Post, Okay Africa, Amnesty International Blog and the Standard Times- a leading local newspaper discussing women’s health, maternal and newborn health, sexuality and politics. Her passion lies in curating spaces and places through community designed projects, technology, and advocacy policy to drive improved social services for marginalized communities – especially women. She is the founder of The Survivor Dream Project – a community led project that creates sustainable change in the lives of vulnerable populations across Sierra Leone. Fatou participated in AWDF’s 2015 African Women Writers Workshop. You can follow her writing at her blog.
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
Second AWDF African Women Writers Workshop in Kampala, Uganda (July 27- Aug 5)
[tp lang=”en” not_in=”fr”]Saturday, August 1st
The second African Women Writers Workshop got off to a great start. It’s been exciting to meet the amazing women who have come to learn and share about writing on Social Justice.
Monday 27th July: The week began at the Speke Hotel Uganda, located in lush gardens on the bank of Lake Victoria. The serenity and beauty of our surroundings are just the perfect environment to stimulate creative juices.
After the first two days the participants quickly became a tight knit sisterhood. Our 22 talented women come from Morocco to Madagascar. Their selection followed a competitive process from over 200 applications that focused on their creativity and conviction in writing and storytelling.
This year’s group is being taken through a demanding schedule by award-winning writer Yewande Omotoso and veteran writer/filmmaker extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, our lead facilitators. The full-day programme involves role play, interviews, timed writing exercises and plenty of hands-on coaching.
Fast forward to Friday 31 July: The workshop participants joined in a public dialogue on African Women and Public Policy examining the status of African women in decision making spaces. The night was a success, drawing attendees from the public, Uganda’s literary world and activists.
We say a big thank you to our panelists, AWDF CEO Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso and workshop participant Zeyana Abdullah who joined Prof. Tabitha Mulyampiti of Makaere University.
We are also grateful to The Ugandan Women Writers Association FEMRITE, with whom we are co-hosting the workshop for a second time, for their support and warm welcome.
For the next 4 days we will be taken through the acclaimed MOTH Storytelling workshop conducted by Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns and Dawn Fraser.
Here’s some or feedback from #AWW15 on the first six days
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, Nigeria:
The week has been very intense very challenging as regards cultivating creativity…putting us on the spot…the arguments and different perspectives have been very interesting. It’s a fact that we are not just participants, but we have become sisters. The facilitators have been great. I have learned about structure and in the Op-ed session I learned about counter-arguments.
That’s my week – intense. And the food at Speke is really good. Thank you AWDF
Ruth Adong (Uganda) :
The Op-Ed session has been the best thing that has happened to my writing. I “rant” a lot, but the session gave me a way to structure my ranting…gave me a way to rant with opinion. I loved the aspect of breaking into groups and bouncing ideas off each other. It really helped me to get arguments right.
The timed writing exercises have put me on the spot, but forced me outside my comfort zone.
Facilitators :
Today has been really good. When Sylvia and Yewande were reading their work I could see that they practice what they preach. They have been very friendly, yet they push us. They have been very generous with their knowledge. My writing has improved already.
Theo really put things into perspective with her talk. She was very inspirational. Made me see the purpose of my writing.
Merna Thomas (Egypt) :
Obviously we are doing a lot of work. I was worried that it would be a waste of time. For me it’s the psychology of writing that has been the biggest benefit. I feel the burden of the facilitators – 22 of us. But they are very amazing, very generous.
StellaMaris (Uganda)–
The week was relevant. I saw an evolution in my writing. I learned my weaknesses and strengths. The facilitators make us know we are getting hands-on information from experts. It’s been challenging and it’s been entertaining. I’ve enjoyed the moments together with new friends.[/tp]
[tp lang=”fr” not_in=”en”]Samedi 1er Août
Le second ‘African Women Writers Workshop’ a pris un excellent départ. Il a été passionnant de rencontrer les femmes extraordinaires qui sont venues pour apprendre et partager sur l’écriture sur la justice sociale.
Lundi 27 Juillet: La semaine a débuté à l’Hôtel Speke en Ouganda, situé dans des jardins luxuriants sur la rive du lac Victoria. La sérénité et la beauté de notre environnement sont idéals pour stimuler la créativité.
Après les deux premiers jours, les participantes sont rapidement devenues une fraternité soudée. Nos 22 femmes de talent viennent du Maroc à Madagascar. Leur sélection a suivi un processus concurrentiel parmi plus de 200 candidatures qui se concentraient sur leur créativité et leur conviction dans l’écriture et le récit.
Le groupe de cette année a été pris par le calendrier exigeant de l’écrivaine primée Yewande Omotoso et la vétérante scénariste / cinéaste extraordinaire Sylvia Vollenhoven, nos principaux animateurs. Le programme d’une journée complète à impliqué des jeux de rôle, des interviews, des exercices d’écriture chronométrés et beaucoup de travail sur le coaching.
Avance rapide au vendredi 31 Juillet: Les participantes de l’atelier se sont jointes dans un dialogue public sur les femmes africaines et la politique publique afin d’examiner le statut des femmes africaines dans les espaces de prise de décision. La nuit a été un succès, attirant des participants, du public du monde et militants littéraire de l’Ouganda.
Nous disons un grand merci à nos panélistes, la Directrice Générale d’AWDF Theo Sowa, Vollenhoven, Omotoso et les participantes à l’atelier Zeyana Abdullah qui ont rejoint le professeur de l’Université de Tabitha Mulyampiti Makaere.
Nous sommes également reconnaissantes envers The Ugandan Women Writers Association, FEMRITE, avec qui nous avons co-accueilli l’atelier pour la deuxième fois, pour leur soutien et leur accueil chaleureux.
Pour les 4 prochains jours, nous serons pris par le célèbre MOTH Storytelling workshop menée par Sarah Jenesse, Catherine Burns et Dawn Fraser.
Voici un retour sur une partie des six premiers jours #AWW15
Oluwaseun Ayodeji Osowobi, (Nigeria):
La semaine a été très intense et très difficile en ce qui concerne la culture et la créativité … nous mettre sur la sellette … les arguments et les différents points de vue ont été très intéressants. C’est un fait que nous ne sommes pas seulement des participantes, mais nous sommes devenues sœurs. Les animatricess ont été formidables. J’ai appris sur la structure et à la session Op-ed-je appris sur les contre-arguments.
Voilà ma semaine – intense. Et la nourriture au Speke est vraiment bonne. Merci AWDF
Ruth Adong (Ouganda) :
La session Op-Ed a été la meilleure chose qui soit arrivée à mon écriture. J’écris beaucoup de “diatribes”, mais la session m’a donné un moyen de me structurer … m’a donné une façon de déclamer avec l’opinion. J’ai adoré l’idée de former de petits groupes et rebondir sur les idées des autres. Cela m’a vraiment aidé à obtenir les arguments justes.
Les exercices d’écriture chronométrés m’ont mise sur la sellette, mais m’ont forcé à sortir de ma zone de confort.
Animatrices:
Aujourd’hui a été vraiment bien. Lorsque Sylvia et Yewande lisaient leur travail, je pouvais voir qu’elles pratiquent ce qu’elles prêchent. Elles ont été très gentilles, mais elles nous poussé. Elles ont été très généreuses avec leurs connaissances. Mon écriture s’est déjà améliorée.
Theo a vraiment mis les choses en perspective avec son discours. Elle était très inspirante. Elle m’a fait voir le but de mon écriture.
Merna Thomas (Egypte):
Évidemment, nous faisons beaucoup de travail. Je craignais que ce soit une perte de temps. Pour moi, c’est la psychologie de l’écriture qui a été le plus grand avantage. Je sens le fardeau des animateurs – 22 d’entre nous. Mais elles sont très étonnantes, très généreuses.
StellaMaris (Ouganda)–
La semaine était pertinente. J’ai vu une évolution dans mon écriture. J’ai appris de mes forces et faiblesses. Les animateurs nous font savoir que nous obtenons l’information pratique sur des experts. Cela a été difficile et ça a été divertissant. J’ai apprécié les moments avec de nouvelles amies.[/tp]
African Women Writers: Introducing the class of #AWW14
African Women Writers: Introducing the class of #AWW14
In July of this year, AWDF in partnership with the Ugandan Women Writers Association held a 10 day residential writers workshop led by Yewande Omotoso and Mamle Kabu. The workshop brought together 26 African women writers from 10 African countries. During the period, the writers honed skills, learnt new tips and techniques, and perhaps most important of all, committed to amplifying their work and those of other African women writers.
African Women Write (AWW14) is a document which details the writers (including facilitators and the coordinating team) who constitute #AWW14. In case you are wondering what that hashtag means, its the acronym that was coined for ‘African Women Writers’ with 14 representing the year this workshop took place. Find some of our tweets via that hashtag on twitter and check out the storify that HOLAAfrica pulled together from our 10 day frenzy of live tweeting.
By: Nana Darkoa Sekyiamah,
Communications Specialist, AWDF
You have to be a selfish woman
You have to be a selfish woman
Ma’ami,
you would love these women.
Maybe not at first,
maybe not all at once,
but oh, you would love them.
They would speak to your heart
and
the things you wouldn’t say
couldn’t say?
Like “maybe I should have left my husband.”
Maybe I should have loved myself enough
To say, out loud, because it is important:
“I married a wonderful man,
but the wonder didn’t last.”
They would celebrate you
and hug you out of the dark places
where you hid your doubts about a faithful God
Your questions about a faithless man
Your prayers for your straying children
Your tears at four a.m
and five a.m
and eleven p.m
and midnight.
They would tell you
“ah, mama, you look amazing today!”
Or, “take that trip, mama,
it will teach you what deserving is.”
You deserve – peace in the home you built
with your own two hands
The joy of your grandchildrens’ laughter
A good husband
Or at least, a better one than
the wonderful man you married
loved, fed, clothed – stayed with.
I have questions, ma’ami.
Why did you stay?
Did you not have sisters
to hold you as you shocked yourself with your own tears?
Did no one tell you;
this is where you can go
When none of the children pouring off the playground
at pick-up
are yours
because your husband has stolen them?
Where were your sisters
to teach you how
you sweep up the dust,
throw out the trash
that a kicked-out man will leave?
I have so many questions, ma’ami.
There is so much I don’t know.
Why did they leave you alone?
These big-talking, prayer-hawking
women who claimed your strength
was enough excuse.
Where were they?
At this point:
wry laughter over longer hair
from cracked skull and month-long hospital stay.
Or this:
office-opening in Central Business District
and ‘Head-of-Firm’ on the door.
Did they love you at all?
Who did they think was holding your hand?
I have things I want to tell you, ma’ami.
Do you recognise the woman I’m becoming?
I would hold your hand now.
Do you see how your granddaughter laughs?
She will ask me about you
And I will hug her and tell her
at first, easy things, like
how I saw your face
In these women, in this place.
How it made me wish you were still here,
so I could be the one who finally told you:
You have to be more than a good woman, ma’ami
You have to be a selfish woman
and this is how…
This work was developed during the African Women’s Development Fund and Femrite African Women Creative Non-Fiction Writing Workshop in Uganda, July 2014.
Children’s Stories and YA Fiction Writer’s Master Class with Mamle Wolo
Children’s Stories and YA Fiction Writer’s Master Class with Mamle Wolo
Master Class on Writing Children’s Stories and Young Adult Fiction with Mamle Wolo, June 14 in Accra
This coming Saturday, award-winning author, Mamle Wolo will be teaching a writer’s master class focusing on children’s stories and young adult fiction. Many of her short stories have been published in several journals and anthologies. Also, her young adult novel, The Kaya Girl, won the Burt Award for African Literature in 2011.
If you are a man or a woman interested in participating in the workshop, please send a short bio and a sample story or article to info@mbaasem.net by Tuesday, June 10. Successful applicants will be notified by June 12. The workshop will take place from 9:00-4:00 on June 14. It is organised by the Mbaasem Foundation and the Golden Baobab Prize. AWDF and the Royal Bank are sponsoring. We hope you will apply!
Link to Mbaasem Foundation’s post: here.