Maryam Awaisu is a Nigerian writer fighting for women’s rights and sickle cell patients.
Her novel, “Burning Bright,” is a powerful tale of a young lady “Nadia” who has sickle cell anemia and battles with society, family, love, and stereotype.
It is a story of pain shoveled by fate on a young sickle cell patient as she battles with Nigeria’s obvious frailties and the overall triumph of faith.
The 2015 National Broadcasters Merit Humanitarian Award winner, who currently volunteers at Sickle Cell Patient Health Promotion Center in Kaduna, is also a feminist who is hard at work advocating for equal rights for women and better awareness for sickle cell disease in Nigeria.
Most recently, Next Edition was at the prestigious Abuja Literary Society Book Jam where Ms. Awaisu had a book reading session and a hearty discussion on the hardship faced by most sickle cell disease patients in Nigeria.
Before the reading session, she took time to answer seven questions exclusively for Next Edition readers.
1. Why did you write Burning Bright?
To enlighten about the nightmare of living with sickle cell anemia, that it might make people see why they should prevent it. It’s too cruel for anyone to put at risk, the offspring they plan to love.
2. Any literary inspirations?
The Harry Potter books and everything I read by Sidney Sheldon. Nothing short of unbelievable genius!
3. Your feminism entails?
Advocating for equal rights and opportunities for both sexes within my sphere of influence, and in my personal life. Equal pay for equal work, equal employment opportunities, equal access to healthcare, equal rights to reproductive health choices, equal rights not to be discriminated against, equal rights to education, equal rights to choose marriage, rather than being forced, and equal rights to respect as a human being, in broad terms.
FOUR – How do you juggle your work with your sickle cell advocacy?
I work full-time now, so it’s not easy. I attend and speak at more advocacy functions than I participate in the daily activities of the Sickle Cell Patient Health Promotion Center I volunteer for. Soliciting support and speaking about prevention of sickle cell even in informal settings are things I do at every chance I get.
FIVE – Any word for the government?
Yes: Declare a State of Emergency on Sickle Cell Anemia! This is something that should’ve been done 50-odd years ago. Why are we letting our citizens suffer endlessly? Look what was done for HIV. The president has personal experiences with sickle cell anemia, and I thought that would make him prioritize it. So, I wonder who will. The president’s wife promised to establish two sickle cell centers in Kaduna and Gombe since 2015. Still nothing. There’s so much to be done: subsidize medication/treatment for sickle cell patients, come up with a disability/special-needs policy to address stigmatisation and unfair treatment of said patients, sponsor patients for bone marrow transplants, establish centers that can perform these transplants in< Nigeria, include psychological care for patients, implement ban on incompatible marriages… This is just off the top of my head.
SIX – Plans for the future?
Hoping to get a bone marrow transplant and leave sickle cell behind me. Moving on from that, I’m very passionate about TV/radio, and plan to go back to that someday. I also want to partner with women’s rights movements to establish shelters for abused females. The fight against gender-based violence can’t go far without shelters, I believe.
SEVEN – Do you see yourself in government/politics anytime soon?
The government, maybe, politics, definitely not. I abhor politics and the vileness that comes with it. Much as I admire those who deal with all that, it’s a very dirty game that I wouldn’t touch with a twenty-foot pole.
