The WHO Small Countries Initiative has released 2 sets of micro case studies, illustrating the experiences of 11 small countries and 1 region in strengthening their health workforces in the areas of postgraduate training and monitoring and managing health workforce mobility.
Challenges to the health workforce in small countries are further influenced by their size, context and dynamics. Their smallness means that challenges in this area, such as a brain drain or lack of specialized health professionals, are revealed sooner than would be the case in larger countries where they often manifest themselves at a later stage.
Improving postgraduate and speciality training and the monitoring and management of health-workforce mobility are two of the areas covered by the micro case studies in addressing challenges related to the health workforce.
The collection of micro case studies was undertaken by the Working Group on Human Resources for Health in Small Countries in the WHO European Region.
Postgraduate and specialty training: a varied and rich solution
The micro case studies highlighted many ways in which improved postgraduate training contributes to strengthening the health workforce. Some small countries have capitalized on these, for example, by using data collected through the shared-medical-record system in assessing future postgraduate-training needs. Others have established collaboration with hospitals in other countries to improve their access to speciality training.
Small countries know what works in general and when to seek guidance on addressing challenges in this area. The availability of more timely and coordinated data would, however, strengthen this resource and, in turn, enable a higher level of information-sharing.
A mobile workforce
The micro case-studies also demonstrate that data on the mobility and migration of health professionals are not available to all practising professionals. Furthermore, they find that use of the “WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel” varies among small countries/regions. Different financial and other incentives are used to retain health professionals or encourage them to return home, for example, after studies abroad.
The case studies also reveal that data represent only one of several key elements needed for the effective planning of human resources for health, and illustrate how small countries are able to identify areas of cooperation to this end.
Looking ahead
In highlighting ways in which countries can continue to learn from one another towards building a sustainable health workforce, this document offers suggestions on how to recruit and retain the necessary health professionals, attract young people to health-related professions, and address shortages of certain medical specialties.
According to research conducted by WHO/Europe and reports from the field, the European Region now risks accelerated spread of antimicrobial resistance. The long-term problem of antibiotics being used inappropriately by individuals and in health care settings is worsening as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. This year’s World Antimicrobial Awareness Week, set to take place on 18–24 November, is an opportunity to focus attention on the evolving situation.
Despite the fact that antibiotics do not treat or prevent viral infections like COVID-19, the results of behavioural insight research conducted in 9 countries and areas of the European Region showed antibiotic use increasing throughout the pandemic along with cases. Of those taking the antibiotics, 79–96% reported not having been infected with COVID-19 but were taking antibiotics inappropriately, believing they would prevent infection. Evidence indicates that up to 15% of severely affected COVID-19 patients develop bacterial co-infection and could need antibiotics, whereas 75% actually receive them.
“Antibiotics save lives and we should ensure their effectiveness for as long as possible. Some patients with severe COVID-19 also have bacterial co-infections and need antibiotics to survive,” explained Dr Nino Berdzuli, Director of WHO/Europe’s Division of Country Health Programmes. “This has been a very difficult time for health care institutions. Especially now in the pandemic it is important that clear guidelines are put in place to prevent inappropriate use of antibiotics. Everyone has a role to play as an antibiotic guardian, whether they are a parent, a prescriber or a policy-maker.”
Dr Fabio Soldani is an infectious disease specialist in Verona, Italy, consulting on different wards within the Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Integrata hospital. His experience on the front line in northern Italy – the first area of Europe to be severely affected by COVID-19 – confirms how difficult it was at first to restrict the use of antibiotics.
Keeping antibiotics for patients with clear signs of bacterial infection
“At the beginning, we gave COVID-19 patients in my hospital antibiotics in the way that we typically would for community-acquired pneumonia. This meant we would give them broad-spectrum antibiotics such as cephalosporins and azithromycin, until possible bacterial superinfections had been ruled out,” he explained. “As the epidemic continued and we gained more experience, we started reserving antibiotic treatment only for patients with signs of laboratory-confirmed bacterial infection. Whenever possible, we tried to shorten the length of antibiotic treatment.”
In Dr Soldani’s hospital good practice in antimicrobial stewardship from before the pandemic helped prevent antibiotic misuse when the crisis hit.
“In intensive care we generally avoid giving antibiotics to prevent bacterial infection in patients on machines that are helping them to breathe. We kept this practice also during the COVID-19 epidemic. For detecting infections, we are using new diagnostic techniques more than ever before.”
Increased levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria
Despite these measures, the hospital, like many others in the European Region, has had to deal with increased levels of antibiotic-resistant bacteria during the pandemic.
“There have been several bacterial infections due to Pseudomonas and Enterococci, often with high levels of resistance. I believe that widespread use of third-generation cephalosporins can lead to an increase in resistance, especially in a hospital setting.”
Underlining the need for careful evaluation, Dr Soldani feels that more investigation is required to assess the impact of COVID-19 on antibiotic use in hospital settings. The situation is complex as some aspects of the pandemic in hospitals actually appeared to reduce antibiotic use. As the range of activities in the hospital was scaled back and only focused on emergencies, there were fewer health care-associated infections, which are often resistant to antibiotics.
“With the experience that we have gained, I believe that we would now adopt a different approach if we found ourselves in a similar situation once again. The use of antibiotics would most likely be more restricted. I think that once COVID-19 is laboratory-confirmed, which takes much less time than before, if there are no signs of bacterial superinfection, then using antibiotics should be avoided.”
While in the northern region of Cameroon the Boko Haram Jihadist insurgency began about 2010, in the North West and South West Regions the fighting between the Cameroonian army and anglophone separatists flared-up into full-scale war in 2017.
Recently the Migrants & Refugees Section of the Vatican’s Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development characterised the situation on the Cameroon-Nigerian borders not only as “outrageous” but representing the “untold history of a people.”
Drawing attention to the region, the Vatican office points out the irony of Nigerians crossing the border in the northern areas seeking safety in Cameroon while Cameroonians are also crossing into the southeastern region of Nigeria. As the conflicts rage on, many innocent people have been killed, children forced to drop out of school and families on the run, have left their homes. There are not many headlines about these conflicts save for the odd mention when serious atrocities occur. In between, ordinary villagers, the National Commission for Refugees, UN agencies and the Church both in Cameroon and Nigeria are doing their bit to provide humanitarian assistance for Cameroonians caught-up in the conflicts.
Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Calabar welcoming Cameroonian refugees
When refugees cross into Nigeria from Cameroon, some of them would have been on the run for close to eight days before they can find help. Hungry, tired and some in need of medical attention from gunshot wounds, the first responders for the new arrivals, as happens always, are the local people and local authorities. The situation has not been any different In Nigeria’s Cross River State on the southeastern side of the country of which Calabar is the capital.
“One of the refugees shared a heart-breaking experience. He was in bed when in the middle of the night he heard shouting, a lot of noise and then the sound of a gun. He just got out of bed and ran. He was not even properly dressed. He was in his boxer shorts and had to flee the attack on his village just as he was. They ran into the bush where they were for seven to eight days. Feeding was a major problem … a lot of lives have been lost (in the anglophone regions), and people are scared for their lives,” Fr. Emmanuel Bekomson told Vatican News in an interview.
Fr. Bekomson, Director of the Archdiocese of Calabar’s Justice Development Peace Commission (JDPC), observed that because of the influx of refugees, local infrastructure had been stretched to the limit and the impact on already poor and struggling host communities is visible. There is inadequate accommodation, food, water, sanitation and mosquito nets, he said.
Small income-generating projects such as hair salons
It can take days before the new arrivals, from Cameroon, are processed by local government authorities and UN agencies. In the meantime, the refugees need a place to stay and food as they wait. Fr. Bekomson appealed for help so that the Archdiocese of Calabar can build a centre where newly arrived refugees would be housed as they await processing. Refugees, said Fr. Bekomson, also need small income-generating projects such as hair salons, barbershops or poultry for them be independent.
Cooperation between Nigerian and Cameroonian Bishops
Dioceses in Nigeria and Cameroon are cooperating and coordinating humanitarian efforts. According to Fr. Bekomson, humanitarian support includes spiritual and pastoral care.
For their part, the Cameroonian Bishops under the auspices of the Bishops of the Ecclesiastical Province of Bamenda (BAPEC) where many of the Cameroonian refugees originate, are in constant communion with their brother-Bishops in the Nigerian Episcopate to “accompany their Sheep” on the move.
“Yes, indeed the socio-political crisis in our part of the country has greatly come with the unfortunate displacement of many of our people. We have many of our people who are Internally Displaced, and some are refugees even as far away as in Nigeria. At the moment we do not see any headway out of the crisis, and we may have to deal with this for a long while,” said Bishop George Nkuo, the Bishop of Kumbo and President of BAPEC.
Listen to an excerpt of the Interview with Fr. Emmanuel Bekomson
Wednesday, 18 November 2020, 3:57 pm Article: Binoy Kampmark
Masks can prove liberating. The hidden face affords
security. Obnoxious authority breathes better, hiding in
comfort. Behind the material, confidence finds a home. While
tens of millions of jobs have been lost to the novel
coronavirus globally, security services, surveillance
officers and pen pushers are thriving, policing admissions
to facilities, churning through health and safety
declarations, and generally making a nuisance of
themselves.
Consider the state of Victoria in
Australia. The pandemic lockdown measures have softened but
have left a thick film of bureaucracy. For the overly eager
employee wishing to come into work to retrieve necessary
materials (the definition of what is necessary varies), the
task is irritating, even taxing. First, temperature check.
Second, checking in via smart phone with a health
declaration, a step discriminatory to those who have no
interest in having such devices. Third, clearance with
security to ensure the activation of relevant cards, and the
lending of necessary keys. Even through masks, those lining
up exude weariness, feeling saggy after months in
epidemiological confinement.
With the card activated
and ready to access the necessary buildings, it is time to
make way to the office, a space neglected since March.
Books, sulking at not having been consulted. Detritus of
memories on the wall: posters and pictures of travel to
places now inaccessible for reasons of cost or the pandemic.
Towers of paperwork left unattended, rendered irrelevant by
digitalisation. White board, uncleaned. A sense of woe
grips: the days for having such a space of monkish calm and
serene bliss are numbered.
During the pandemic,
employers have been chorusing about the benefits of making
people work from home. This has very much to do with them,
though other virtues are also celebrated: the conveniences
of work and home living; avoiding long, draining commutes;
spending more time with family. We are doing it for
you.
This has meant the invasion of the employee’s
home, and often not a voluntary one. Urban managerialism,
already identified in the 1970s by the English sociologist
Ray Pahl, has been hyper charged by a reallocation of
resources, the imposition of stresses upon the toilers. The
nature of parasitic capitalism, as Andy Merrifield puts it,
has come to the fore with aggression. “World cities,” he
reasons, “are giant arenas where the most rabid
activity is the activity of rabidly extorting land rent, of
making land pay anyway it can; of dispatching all
non-parasitic activities to some other part of town (as
Engels recognized long ago), so as to help this rental
maximisation.” The almost operatic description
of Karl Marx in the first volume of Das Kapital comes
to mind: “Capital is dead labour which, vampire-like,
lives only by sucking living labour, and lives the more and
more it sucks.”
And sucking it does, making sure
that employees feed the beast by shouldering more expenses
while all the time being told they are fulfilling their
civic obligations and minding their good health. The fact
that doing this also means reducing the ongoing costs of the
business or entity, ensuring greater rental maximisation, is
seen as ancillary to the main show.
Prior to the
pandemic, the literature on attitudes to remote work was
already sounding like an urban manager’s small book of
maxims and clichés. Sophia Bernazzani of the video
conferencing company Owl Labs, writing
in December last year, announced how “new survey data
revealed that remote work is a major benefit for employees.
In fact, 34% of US workers would take a pay cut of up to 5%
in order to work remotely. And those who do work remotely
say they’re happy in their jobs 29% more than on-site
workers.”
With COVID-19 yet to make its telling
presence, Forbes was already diving into
reasons why a remote workforce was an exhilarating boon
for business. As contributor Amar Hussain reasoned,
“Although there are challenges that come with hiring and
organizing a remote workforce, the reality is working with a
remote team might end up being one of the best decisions you
could make for your business.” More work is accomplished
by such remote teams (time otherwise wasted on commuting,
for instance, can be used); a “larger talent pool” can
be drawn from, given the absence of geographical
constraints; rental costs will be spared, meaning that US
companies would be saving $10,000 per employee per year.
Finally, a health dividend (because they care), would
accrue. “Remote work removes the need to commute and the
associated negative effects.”
Urban planning
academic Richard Shearmur sees
past the glossy narrative of saving costs, tilting the
focus away from proselytisers of the religion of remote
work. “Whatever the personal and productivity impacts of
remote work, the savings of US$10,000 per year are the
employer’s. In effect, this represents an offloading of
costs onto employees – a new type of enclosure.” With
this comes loneliness, reduced productivity and
various inefficiencies.
Shearmur also sees a
historical parallel of expropriation. “In 16th-century
Britain, powerful landowners expropriated common land from
the communities, often for the purpose of running lucrative
sheep farms. Today, businesses like Shopify appear to be
expropriating their employee’s private living space.”
They do so by making employees purchase more work equipment
for the home (ergonomic chairs, desks and so forth), placing
the emphasis on them to maintain such equipment and the
premises that house them.
Such businesses are also
casting an Orwellian eye over employees in their home
environment. Expropriation, in a fashion, is not enough; it
must come with the monitoring gaze. Productivity targets
must be maintained. Elizabeth Lyons of the University of San
Diego explains
what that entails. “The things employers are really
looking for is what websites are employees on, are these
productive or unproductive websites, what apps are they
using, how much time they are spending on their different
tasks.”
In an online
survey of 1,800 people in October conducted by Prospect,
a UK trade union representing engineers, scientists and
civil servants, two-thirds of workers expressed discomfort
at the idea of programmes being used to check the frequency
of their typing. Up to 80% were also unsettled by the use of
cameras recording them as they sat at their home computer,
with 76% uncomfortable with the idea of wearing devices
noting their location.
Some employees have been
encouraged to believe in the narcotic of efficiency and
productivity. Take Candice, a “digital marketer” behind
podcasts aiding students undertaking English proficiency
tests. Interviewed for ABC Radio National in Australia, she
is sympathetic to her employer who “has no idea of
what I’m doing all day long.” Except that he does. But
never mind that: home surveillance technology “keeps me on
track … I can see exactly how much time I’ve spent doing
work”. Good for the unassuming Candice and co-religionists
of remote work; bad for many of us.
Dr. Binoy Kampmark
was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He
lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]
20 years of independent publishing is a milestone, but your support is essential to keep Scoop thriving. We are building on our offering with thedig.nz our new In-depth Engaged Journalism platform. Now, more than ever sustainable financial support of the Scoop Foundation for Public Interest Journalism will help to keep these vital and participatory media services running.
By: PTI | Jaipur |
Updated: November 18, 2020 9:19:01 am
Shubham Yadav tops Islamic studies entrance list at the Central University of Kashmir. Image source: facebook.com/shubhamyadavTECS
In a break from the past, a non-Muslim candidate from Rajasthan has topped the all-India entrance exam for a master’s course in Islamic studies at the Central University of Kashmir. “Islam is portrayed as a radical religion and there is a lot of misconception about it. The division in the society is growing today and it is really very important to understand each other’s religion,” said Shubham Yadav, who would join the course in Kashmir for two years.
The result of the common entrance test, held on September 20, was declared on October 29. The university, which had set up the Islamic studies centre in 2015, confirmed that Yadav is the first non-Muslim candidate to top the exam. “This is the first time a non-Muslim has topped the entrance exam… We’ve had non-Muslim scholars in the past,” Professor Hamid Naseem Rafiabadi said.
Yadav (21) has done BA honours in philosophy from the Delhi University and hails from Alwar where two lynching cases of Pehlu Khan in 2017 and Akbar alias Rakbar Khan in 2018 took place. “Such kind of incidents also made me think and gave motivation to read about the religion (Islam). I convinced my parents to pursue Islamic studies by making them understand that it will be about Islamic history and culture and they agreed,” he said.
Yadav said that he developed an interest in Islamic studies during his college days and has informally studied about the Arab spring, Iran issues, early days of Islam and Prophet Muhammad and is looking forward to learn more about it in the formal course. Some of my friends who are from Muslim community are studying global Islamic politics,” said Yadav, who is also preparing for the civil services exam.
Yadav has a younger brother studying in class 11 while his father runs a general store in Alwar.
Brussels [Belgium], November 17 (ANI): Members of the European Parliament (MEP) have condemned coercive labour programmes in Tibet and called the European Union (EU) to act against China for the human rights abuses in Xinjiang province and compel Beijing to respect its international obligations.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the MEPs asked “does the EU condemn these coercive labour programmes, which violate the fundamental rights of Tibetans – including their right to freedom of movement and to their own livelihood?” and, in the framework of the EU China Human Rights Dialogue, “what measures does the EU intend to take in order to push China to respect its international human rights obligations?”The MEPs also requested to know if the EU intends “to adopt targeted sanctions (visa bans, asset freezes etc.) against individuals responsible for the establishment of these programmes in Tibet?”The parliamentarians in the statement said that the European Commission has received numerous questions recently on China’s oppressive policies towards minority communities in the country.
This comes after the Washington, D.C.-based institute Jamestown Foundation released a report in September revealing China’s large-scale programme of coercive labour in the Tibet Autonomous Region.
The reports reveal how the Tibet Autonomous Region in 2019 and 2020, introduced new policies to promote systematic, centralised and large-scale training and to relocate redundant rural workers to other parts of the territory.
According to a Jamestown Foundation report, in the first half of 2020 over half a million farmers and shepherds, accounting for 15 per cent of the Tibetan population, had been enrolled in military training centres, with a view to their recruitment in industry.
According to the Chinese Communist Party, Tibetans are people who must be ‘reprogrammed’ by minimising the negative influence of Buddhism, and by transforming their ways of thinking and their identity by learning both work discipline and the official Chinese language. A great deal of pressure is put on officials in order to achieve these drastic results.
Responding to the reports, the MEPs said that these acts of coercion and indoctrination clearly endanger the linguistic, cultural and spiritual heritage of the Tibetan minority and constitute human rights‘ violations.
Prior to this, in October this year, nine cross-party, pan-European Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) addressed a parliamentary question to Josep Borrell, the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy regarding China’s continued oppression of the Tibetan community.
The MEPs had asked three pointed questions; the first being “how does the Vice-President/ High Representative intend to take action to protect the rights of the Tibetan people?” which they followed with “will he take into account, in future negotiations with the People’s Republic of China, the forced assimilation campaign in so-called re-education camps that is used against ethnolinguistic minorities?”In their last question, the MEPs had asked the Vice-President of the Commission and High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy if he will “continue negotiations with those parties that do not observe democratic and human principles?”These questions follow similar questions raised by other parliamentarians concerned about China’s oppressive policies towards Tibetans.
The Vice-President of the Commission/High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy is expected to reply in the coming weeks, the release said. (ANI)
YellowMarlin8834: A resounding no to the grand coalition. Federal Territories Minister Annuar Musa, you are only interested in strengthening your own position.
Your statement clearly shows you are more pro-backdoor government than your own party, Umno. Is it because you got a position and it is too lucrative to let go?
Please don’t use race and religion. Many from your race are suffering due to this lockdown. You don’t even want to share your salary with them by taking a pay cut.
This government is sick to the core. Without a pandemic, maybe you can behave like the old Umno. But not now, the government has no money and its bloated cabinet is too stupid to tackle the crisis.
Doc: Annuar, who is also the BN secretary-general, must be so desperate that he is inviting troublemaker former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his Pejuang to join in his grand union of the ummah.
On another note, three parties – PAS, Bersatu, and Umno – came together in February to take over the government claiming they wanted to form a coalition with one singular focus – to safeguard, unite, and strengthen the Malay community against attacks from the “diabolical” DAP.
So, in the nine months after this Perikatan Nasional (PN) took over the government, my questions are on how the Malay community is faring:
1) Have job opportunities for the Malay community improved significantly?
2) Has the Malay community’s share of the economic pie increased?
3) Is the Malay community happy with the way the PN government is handling the political, economic, and social structure of the country?
4) Are the three major political entities in PN working hard together to achieve the dreams and aspirations of the Malay community as what they promised to do?
5) Have the “attacks” by the “diabolical” DAP on the ummah been thwarted and the party’s potency been curtailed?
I guess the answer to these questions must be a resounding “no”. Otherwise, why would Annuar be calling for an even-grander collation of Malay-based parties to safeguard the dreams and aspiration of the ummah?
I guess he must be thinking “if I failed before, try again”, but this time with more parties.
Mano: Annuar, you said: “The efforts of the union of the ummah (Malay/Muslim community) must be our main responsibility.” Is this so that the elite and semi-elite ummah can continue the looting?
You should talk on how to bring up the B40 (bottom 40 percent) Malays, how they can own at least one house, how they can be comfortable in their lives (they are not aspiring to have your obscenely luxurious lifestyle), how they can be educated, how they will regain their self-esteem by standing on their own two feet (instead of making them feel they must forever be dependent on the crumbs you throw out after eating the cake).
But sorry, if you educate them well, they will most likely see through all your greed. So, it serves you well to keep them as they are – ever ready to hoist the flags when you flash the racial and religious cards.
By the way, did the dubious Mara deal in Australia fill the pockets of the B40 Malays or the elite and semi-elite Malays?
Undecided: “For too long our politics have been centred around two or three personalities, and not on the basis of struggle,” said Annuar.
Annuar, the vast majority of Umno leaders have never struggled. If they have struggled, it was always for their own selfish interest and not for the poor Malays as many are still in the B40 category. By the way, Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin is also one of those personalities you speak of.
Umno’s struggle has more to do with preferential contracts and corruption which siphoned off billions over the past 50 years after the introduction of the New Economic Policy (NEP), which was meant for the poor.
Another major issue is a mediocre education system brought about by supremacists championing Bahasa Melayu without emphasising proficiency in English.
It has to be repeated time and again that, fundamentally, it is the use of race and religion by politicians and their NGO backers to divide the rakyat. This is responsible for Malaysia’s deteriorating economy.
Fairman: Annuar, look at yourself in the mirror. You are also one of those promoting politics of personality.
This should be your last term. You started in 1986 as an assemblyperson in Kelantan. Which side were you on in the 1987 Umno power struggle? Who did you worship then?
You lost in the 1990 general election, bounced back in 1995, and lost again in 1999. You returned as an assemblyperson in 2004, lost again in 2008, and lucky for you, won Ketereh in 2013 and 2018.
You were double-lucky to get a position in the backdoor government in 2020. Now you are using your power and position to promote yourself.
You have been in politics more or less as long as PKR president Anwar Ibrahim. Your final Waterloo is coming very soon. Your hypocrisy will finally be unmasked.
Just a Malaysian: If the grand coalition continues to scream about defending Malays and Muslims, nothing will change.
The change we need is mental, not physical. Having three parties shouting “Hidup Melayu” (long live the Malays) and steal the nation’s coffers, is as bad as having 10 parties doing the same thing.
Annuar, we need changes in our thoughts and approach to building a new progressive and inclusive Malaysia, where every citizen works hard to contribute to the nation.
MS: A wonderful idea, simply brilliant.
This is because the grand coalition will require ballooning the already-humongous cabinet of 70 to at least 100, which can then enter the Guinness Book of Malaysia Boleh Records.
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Maria Clara in the modern Philippines? This comic book makes that time travel happen 1
Noli Me Tangere‘s Maria Clara is the idealized image of a Filipina. Full of finesse, grace, and dignified beauty, she is top-of-mind when it comes to how a young lady should act, carry herself in public, and interact with men.
But her feminine demeanor has been used for so long, often to disgrace fellow Filipinas with that “magdamit Maria Clara upang hindi mabastos” line. This has led many to reconsider: Does Maria Clara still embody what it’s like to be a modern Filipina?
One thing is for sure, Maria Clara is an icon and a role model, as resilient she was in the pages of Jose Rizal’s classic work. But if you’re wondering how our favorite gal, complete with her Filipiniana and fan, will do in our time, then this comic book is for you.
Writer and illustrator Marian Hukom developed a story that continues Maria Clara’s life out of the books and into the busy and modern Philippines with Nagmamahal, Maria Clara comic series. In a conversation with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle, the 23-year-old comic book artist shares how she sees Maria Clara then, and how we—men and women1-should learn from her and be better.
How did you first get the idea for Nagmamahal, Maria Clara? What inspired you to do it?
Nagmamahal, Maria Clara was actually my college thesis! My thesis partner, Riza Malolos, and I did research on the Maria Clara archetype, which is the model Filipinas follow. To be meek, obedient, and dress appropriately. Although we’re both from ‘conservative’ communities, we were the opposite of that (haha!) We hated how the model was pushed onto us and we wanted to abolish it through our thesis. So yeah, basically our inspiration was our shared grievances. But research made us realize Maria Clara is a product of her time. Rizal literally meant for her to represent the Philippines under Spanish colonization, which is yes, desirable, but weak. Generations overlooked her tragic fate and passed her on as tradition with lack of thought. So this created a chasm between conservatives and liberals. To the point they bash each other’s lifestyle.
Marian Hukom and Riza Malolos
Maria Clara did have shining qualities such as her dedication to her values. So instead of abolishing the model, we decided to make a new one. A model that could represent both the liberal and conservative Filipina, but focusing on dedication and heart. Women should follow any belief they want. As long as they do it from the heart without stepping on anybody. We’ve evolved from the old Maria Clara archetype and should leave it in the past, as a stepping stone to learn from.
How long did you work on it?
For the thesis, we worked on it for about a year or so. Our outputs were mainly two short films and the comic was just an add-on with the same concept. But I decided to sell it in the comic circuit too and it surprisingly got good reception! So I continued it as a series and until now, I’m still working on it. It’s on its fourth issue with the fifth one on the way. I got to go to women-oriented fairs, connect with feminist organizations, and learn a lot through the comic. So I’m glad I continued it after college!
Nagmamahal, Maria Clara booth at Gandang Ganda Sa Sariling Gawa (GGSSG) by Gantala Press (Filipina Feminist Publisher)
What inspired you to pursue an artistic route in comics?
I originally did writing first and drawing was just a hobby. I liked writing stories and even aimed to be a journalist! But I got a scholarship at Benilde and MMA was the most appealing course available to me. So I took it and got to hone my illustration skills more. Then I combined it with my writing which resulted in my comics! Being able to do my two favorite things at the same time, writing and drawing, was so much fun so I kept doing it. I made my art pages, started posting, printed actual books, and now I’m here!
Your Instagram page is so fun with your modern illustrations playing with Philippine culture. Is that always part of your aesthetic?
I had to do a lot of research on Nagmamahal, Maria Clara which included looking at vintage Filipiniana attire, re-reading Noli Me Tangere, and searching for reference photos of old Filipino barrios. I even did field days where I traveled to Intramuros, the National Museums, and more. I eventually fell in love with history, especially the baro’t saya! I get so immersed in making the details to the point it’s excessive (haha!). So yeah, those weren’t really part of my aesthetic at first. But I do like incorporating my experiences in every piece I do, which is usually the typical Filipino culture so I get how that reflected in my art.
What do you wish to impart with your readers through the story of Nagmamahal, Maria Clara?
Like my thesis concept, I just want women everywhere, even Maria Clara, to be free to [live] their beliefs, lifestyle, and choices. Instead of tearing each other down for our differences, we should celebrate it. As long as it doesn’t hurt anybody and we’re true to our heart.
Marian speaking at Elbikon + Kwago
Do you have other stories our readers can check out?
Aside from Nagmamahal, Maria Clara, my first comic Palaso is also out for reading. You can actually read both at Penlab, a comics platform featuring local komiks and creators. There’s so much good work there so I recommend checking it out!
Chatting with them at the James Town Café, she was inspired by their thoughts and experiences, and delighted to see how they inspire hope in each other, despite the challenges they face: “When you are alone, look left and look right, and see that the community is there for you”, she said.
She encouraged them to strive to reach their fullest potential, noting that “persons living with disabilities have very special abilities”.
The deputy UN chief also met with President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to discuss pandemic recovery, sustaining peace and investing in African youth.
She commended Ghana for its consistent role in ensuring the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), despite COVID-19 disruptions, and presented a document outlining the UN’s formal commitment to stand with the Government and other partners in support of the West African nation’s pandemic recovery efforts.
The document also pledges support to the country’s endeavors towards reaching the 17 SDGs by 2030, and in achieving its goal of becoming more resilient and self-reliant.
As the pandemic has taken a toll on Ghana’s health, economy, education, and agricultural sector, the UN Framework for immediate socio-economic response calls for protecting jobs, businesses and livelihoods and sets in motion a safe path for a more sustainable, gender-equal and carbon-neutral future.
Free and fair election
On 7 December, Ghanaians will go to the polls in their eighth general election since 1993 – an achievement that has earned the country kudos for its democratic strength and institutions.
Ms. Mohammed underscored the importance of free, fair and credible elections administered by strong, confident and reliable electoral institutions.
During her visit, she met with the leadership of the Electoral Commission (EC) to discuss how the UN can continue supporting the electoral process for the sustenance of peace in the country and, by extension, in West Africa and the continent overall.
She applauded the EC leadership for enabling an environment conducive to a free and fair election and also shared the concept of youth-manned situation rooms that would task young Ghanaians with disseminating accurate and reliable information over the election period, while also defusing concerns surrounding social media.
During a meeting with the National Peace Council, she said that “the enthusiasm and expectations of stakeholders and the people of Ghana are very high and [their] voice in keeping the people calm is critical to ensuring peaceful elections”.
At a press briefing at the end of her visit, the deputy UN chief acknowledged the country’s relative stability, which she said provided a good platform for attracting more investment to aid development and sustainable growth.
