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Martina Chukwuma-Ezike: Black figures and their allies in Scottish history forged a path for people like me

Mary Slessor was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria, seen here with children from Calabar in West Africa (Photo: Universal History Archive/Shutterstock)
Mary Slessor was a Scottish missionary to Nigeria, seen here with children from Calabar in West Africa (Photo: Universal History Archive/Shutterstock)

As a small child in Nigeria, I was inspired by the missionary Mary Slessor.

She is continually celebrated in my home country for her contributions, particularly in Cross River, where she practised and where I grew up. I know she came from the Granite City but, for me, this Gilcomston girl was made of even stronger stuff.

Studying her fearless and selfless work made me start to think more carefully about the concept of cross-cultural impacts, and how different cultures can learn from and inspire each other.

I was around six years old when I was first told about Mary. It was awe-inspiring. She travelled to rural communities where a white woman had never been, gaining the trust of the locals, promoting women’s rights and protecting native children – particularly twins – from the common practice of infanticide.

Never did I imagine that I would eventually find myself in her hometown, the first black rector of the University of Aberdeen.

Martina Chukwuma-Ezike speaking during her inauguration as university rector at King’s College Chapel, Aberdeen (Photo: Paul Glendell/DC Thomson)

Mary Slessor‘s principles – the gift of giving back, humility, courage in the face of adversity – have shaped my passion for education and public health. She worked across cultures 150 years ago, but it seems we still have so much to learn from each other.

My father always said to me: “You never know who you are inspiring.” I would like to think there is a young girl somewhere saying: “I want to be like Martina”, irrespective of her skin colour or background.

Pay tribute during Black History Month

Black History Month allows space for us all to reflect on the incredible contributions of black figures through history, and to learn how to apply their beliefs in our own lives.

The determination and compassion exemplified by James McCune Smith forged a path for people like me, working in the health sector

Take James McCune Smith: a freed slave who was the first African American to hold a medical degree from the University of Glasgow. After his return to the United States, he became the first black person to run a pharmacy.

Glasgow University has just honoured his memory by naming a building after him. Maybe Aberdeen could honour Mary Slessor by erecting a statue of her? She is certainly deserving of the first prominent statue of a woman in the city.

At the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, we support patients of all backgrounds dealing with matters of life-changing proportions. The determination and compassion exemplified by James McCune Smith forged a path for people like me, working in the health sector.

And his is just one example. There are lots of inspirational figures from who we can all learn. I would urge everyone to celebrate Black History Month, pay their own personal tributes and get involved in the events going on at Aberdeen University.


Martina Chukwuma-Ezike is CEO of the Asthma and Allergy Foundation, and Lord Rector of the University of Aberdeen

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