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“…Jonatha Karshima…”
Steve Arrowsmith provided details of the early life of Jonathan Karshima, long after Karshima introduced me to pounded yam in Nigeria. Karshima went on to become widely published, and a professor in Jos.
https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Jonathan_Karshima
“…Sunday Lengmang…”
https://fistulafoundation.org/fighting-the-scourge-of-fistula-in-nigeria/
https://deeply.thenewhumanitarian.org/womenandgirls/articles/2017/12/20/last-hope-the-doctor-who-fixes-inoperable-fistulas-in-nigeria
“…a sixteen year-old girl arrived…”
I learned of the incident at the Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières, MSF) fistula clinic when I arrived there as part of my 2018 trip to Nigeria. The Evangel VVF hospital in Jos had arranged a visit through an MSF press liaison who was new to the country, I believe. They weren’t accustomed to visitors, and for several hours they didn’t know what to do with me. I sat in a waiting room, alongside several young women waiting to be admitted to the hospital. Eventually, I was approached by a young man, French, a nurse associated with the clinic. He told me about the recent death—and I had the distinct impression that he was unsure whether he should be revealing the story, but felt compelled to do so.
It was the day the Belgian surgeon, described below, was to arrive. When he did, there were brief introductions, and I watched the doctor from afar as he made some of his early rounds. We chatted briefly in a courtyard, and he said he was interested in hearing more about my work on Sims.
When I asked about the death of the young woman, the attitude of the entire MSF staff changed dramatically. The Belgian doctor refused to speak with me again, and the staff refused to provide me with his name, or with the name of the young woman who died.