Saluting ‘Napo’

Throughout my working life, I have always shied away from heaping effusive praises on my bosses, however much I need a pay rise or promotion.

This is because generally, I dislike the scent of boot polish, which in turn means effusive bootlicking is not an activity I enjoy.

But today, for a good reason, I will break with my long-established protocol to discuss Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh (a.k.a Napo), the Minister of Education, who I have been working for as Press Secretary since March 2017. 

COVID-19/HIV stigmatisation

One fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic has been stigmatisation of the disease. Perhaps that stems from fear or ignorance, or both, leading people to ostracise persons who have contracted it and have recovered.

This in turn has meant that people who recover often try to hide the fact that they contracted it in the first place, because understandably, we all yearn for acceptance, whatever our milieu.

There have been heartbreaking stories in the media of people who had recovered and yet were made to feel miserable by their community on their return home.

To a certain extent, this stigmatisation bears some closeness to reactions in many quarters about HIV when it emerged in the early 1980s.

The fear of the deadly virus as a death sentence, literally, was coupled with ignorance rooted in a belief that you could contract it by simply touching a victim or sharing a meal with him or her.

On top of this was withering contempt for and absolute lack of empathy towards victims, grounded in the findings that primarily, it was transmitted sexually and, therefore, meant it was God’s punishment for sexual immorality and depravity.

It took a long time to do away with the stigma, especially in the west and visual images of well-known figures such as Princess Diana of England and Mother Teresa of Calcutta, India, interacting with HIV patients, shaking their hands and hugging them were a great boost.

The stigma is still pervasive in many parts of the world but great strides have been made. Clearly that when known faces take up certain causes, it makes an impact.

Unlike HIV, the mode of transmission for COVID-19 has nothing to do with wrong or immoral behaviour and, therefore, this cannot be a factor in the stigmatisation of the disease.

Like HIV, I think that the scary global mortality rates that have been reported have played a huge role in driving fear and, therefore, ostracisation even of recovered patients.

Attitudes can and should be changed through the power of education, because it would promote better understanding of the disease so that we can spread calm, not fear.

Fear does lead to irrational behaviour.

Napo’s revelations

If the Education Minister stands tall in this COVID-19 fight, it is because he opened up and told his story to the country after being discharged from hospital, where he was treated for the disease.

In two big media interviews — on Peace FM’s ‘Kokrokoo’ and Asempa FM’s ‘Ekosii Sen’ programmes — he poured his heart out about his experiences in hospital after he tested positive for the disease, warning of the dangers and admonishing all to be extra careful in observing the hygiene and social distancing protocols.

The minister did not end there. In a post on his Facebook timeline, he wrote about the need to end stigmatisation, stating:

As a society, we must do more to avoid stigmatising those who contract and recover from the dreadful COVID-19 virus. Those who survive it have a story to tell and it is not a pretty one. We must not make it worse for them by stigmatising and then ostracising them. Together, let us fight not only the disease, but the negative social stereotypes around it.”

To cap it off, the minister posted photographs of himself and some of his team members who had contracted the disease and had recovered.

The words, “I have been attacked by COVID-19, survived it and have recovered” were emblazoned on their customized polo shirts. The photographs and shirts constituted a bold and powerful statement.  

I believe that by his decision to open up, Napo sent out a strong message. As a medical doctor, he was able to communicate convincingly what can happen to the human body when attacked by the disease, thereby creating better awareness.

But even more importantly, his story publicised the fact that there was nothing to be ashamed about.

Societal perspectives

We live in a society where many believe that talking publicly about a grave illness gives witches or other evil forces the opportunity to interfere and make matters worse and where a code of silence is usually accepted as de rigueur.

Even those who do not subscribe to the spiritualisation of their grave illnesses still prefer not to go into detail.

When I lived abroad, I was always slightly taken aback whenever a public figure announced he or she had been diagnosed with cancer or some other terminal illness. I recall vividly a British journalist, Jon Diamond, writing regularly in his weekly column in the Times newspaper about his illness after he had been diagnosed with cancer of the tongue, until he was so weak he could no longer write.

Many other celebrities who were diagnosed with one disease or the other often came out to support charities or fundraising drives in line with their illness, after their public revelations.  It is no wonder that in western countries, public figures have been far more forthcoming with revelations that they have tested positive for COVID-19.

I must admit I did feel rather queasy about these things, coming as I do from Africa, where these things are unusual. Even travel plans abroad are usually not discussed prior to travel, nor is the early stage of pregnancy usually divulged, primarily to keep dark forces away. 

Following the minister’s revelation, I have seen a couple of people come out on social media to declare they were infected but have recovered from the disease.

I cannot say whether or not they were emboldened by the minister’s decision to speak up. I would not be surprised if they were.

Gun salute

I salute Napo for many things — his leadership style, energy, focus, hard work and having an eagle’s eye for the slightest twitch or detail. But his decision to step out of the shadows and speak publicly about his experience and recovery takes things a notch higher, especially when he did not have to.

I do hope that those who are going through treatment, particularly those in critical condition, find the healing powers of the Almighty and recover. When those who are afflicted do recover, we have a duty not to ostracise them, but to treat them with dignity and respect as we would anyone else.

We will get there!

Our fight against COVID-19 is on several interloping fronts — science, vigilance, education and social attitudes, among others. We must keep pushing and exploring as we try to understand the disease.

It will take some time to tear down the barrier of social attitudes. To borrow from the Osibisa song that was the signature tune of the iconic TV show ‘Osofo Dadzie’ in the 1970s and 1980s, ‘We will get there, heaven knows how we will get there. We know we will!’

Well done, minister, for lighting this beacon. May it illuminate the darkest nooks and crannies and bring us closer to acceptability. Now, do I get a bonus?

E-mail: rodboat@yahoo.com