PHOTO: Locals meeting to discuss infertility
By Garmah Never Lomo, garmahlomo@gmail.com
WEEZOHN, GRAND BASSA, Liberia- Locals in Wayzohn and Compound #3 in the southern Grand Bassa County say infertility stigma has been a long time traditional ode and norms that is having a serious toll on their relatives who are childless, due to lack of education on this condition.
The name, ode “comes from the Greek aeidein, meaning to sing or chant, and belongs to the long and varied tradition of lyric poetry. “
The issue of traditional ode and norms has since been the driver of infertility stigma in homes, with victims being tortured and kept indoor for so long due to their inability to conceive the citizens said.
At a gathering with locals in this rural area over the holiday weekend, some of them narrated how they witnessed traditional Zoes and elders maltreating infertile women in traditional Zoe bush, after they were accused of being witches, something they claimed is responsible for their inability to bear children.
Because of these harmful traditional practices against infertile women, women decided to keep their infertile condition secret, with some even leaving their towns and villages for the bushes. They are afraid of being harmed by traditional Zoes and elders. Also, many do not even know that men too can also be infertile.
During the days of old, whenever an infertile woman died, traditional leaders usually buried them with fire coal in their anus, which signifies that they didn’t conceived. This was so because of the lack of awareness, which wasn’t available at the time to open the mind of people who engaged in such act.
Infertile women used to be greatly marginalized, as whenever there is a group of people lecturing and an infertile woman appears, they would stop the lecture until the infertile leaves, before continuing what they were discussing.
This is attributed to the lack of infertility stigmatization education.
Locals in this part of Liberia have lauded the Merck Foundation through the office of the first lady of Liberia for its great initiative, asking the Foundation to continue raising awareness on this age-old problem of stigmatizing women with infertility that has been confronting their relatives.
The discussion in Grand Bassa County was dominated by women and it was very interactive with several of them asking questions.
At the end of the awareness, the citizens recommended the following:
- That Merck foundation should continue this awareness should be blend with finding solutions to some of the infertility problems
- That the awareness should be taken to rural places rather than urban areas to really enlighten the mind of locals
The locals also recommended that Merck Foundation infertility stigmatization awareness should engage traditional leaders as a means of reducing harmful traditional practices against infertile women.
Both this reporter and a Physician Assistance, Mr. Aristol K. Williams of the Liberia Agricultural Company (LAC) hospital made presentations on various topics surrounding infertility.