James Baldwin
James Baldwin
I’m reading James Baldwin’s books. I had no idea about these books. They, with the accompanying essays and other writings, are so powerful.
But I can see why I ignored them for so long – I was in Nigeria until 1986. That was the year that Baldwin stopped writing; he died the next year. So now I’m making up for lost time. I don’t have much to report yet; I’ll have to be more focused than I am right now. But I did see a Mount Holyoke (my alma mater) student talking about James Baldwin with great praise.
Instead I’ll talk about Adichie’s and Gates’ comments from “Streaming from Kigali.” (In case you are wondering, Kigali is the capital of Rwanda in East Africa.) And I’ll also bring in the other three panelists.
Gates and Adichie and Other Panelists
Melinda French Gates and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie were commentators on “Streaming from Kigali.” Melinda focused on education, keeping girls in school.
If they have to withdraw to have a baby, they should then go back to school. She said this is critically important. Girls getting a good education, even if imperfect, is better than no education!
Chimamanda focused on the stories. She said that stories tell girls and women the effects for herself and others in their circumstances and lives.
She also stressed the important positive issue of sex education. If it is boring, girls will not listen, but if it’s got sex in it and is told well. they will listen.
We also had three women who were the panelists. Each is a specialist in her own area. None of them actually described what they are doing now, but I checked them out and found all the information fascinating.
Dr. Shivon Byamukama
Dr. Shivon Byamukama
Dr. Shivon Byamukama was the first panelist. She is the Managing Director of Babyl. The company has been in partnership with the Rwanda government since 2020. Since 2016, Babyl has been instrumental in AI – artificial intelligence – using it to focus on an individual’s health care needs.
“Their patients can use their insurance cards to gain access to Babyl. After payment, a nurse will call.
“{They} will have a short consultation with you to give you advice and see if your condition is treatable through digital health. . . Then, the triage nurse will either book you a followup appointment with a Babyl Senior Nurse or GP, or refer you to a partner health facility for treatment.
“If you have a Babyl followup appointment, our GP or Senior Nurse will call you at the appointment time and finish your treatment, including prescriptions and laboratory tests.”
The Babyl method sounds convincing. I hope it works well and is leading the way in Rwanda. It is an important major step.
Dr. Corine Karema
Dr. Corine Karema
Dr. Corine Karema was the second panelist. She is the Malaria Senior Programme Officer, African Leaders Malaria Alliance.
She was the former Director of the Rwanda National Malaria Control Programme (NMCP). She served is this role for 10 years.
From 2011 to May 2016, she was also the head of Malaria & Other Parasitic Diseases (Neglected tropical diseases) Division – Rwanda. During her time . . she led the development of malaria control strategies, policies and research.
These have resulted in increased coverage with overlapping important reductions in malaria morbidity and mortality in Rwanda.
Memory Kachambwa
Memory Kachambwa
The third panelist was Memory Kachambwa. Memory is an “intersectional feminist,” a women’s rights activist with many years of working on issues of gender and development.
I admit to not fully understanding what an intersectional feminist is! But I’m trying to understand. I believe it means overlapping identities and not being able to isolate any one factor alone.
She is an activist and a feminist, so in these ways, she is an intersectional feminist. She identifies gender, race, sexuality, multiculturalism, and other factors that make up a woman. And she is always aware of all the factors!
She did not describe these for us, but it was on my mind as I listened to her.
Getting Up Early
So what did I gain by getting up at 7 am to listen to “Streaming from Kigali?” I certainly gained the information from all three panelists on what they are doing now in health concerns for girls and women. And I benefited from hearing Melinda French Gates and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie tell about their relationships with what they remembered, and forgot!
