A Date With Nigerian Antiquity

The doomsday prophets were at it again. This time, they predicted an apocalypse according to the Mayan Calendar. For me, i wasn't the least disturbed. After all, it was in sharp contradiction to what my Bible tells me. Funny enough, a CNN correspondent who visited the small Mayan Village in highland Guatemala revealed that the people themselves were only observing the end of their calendar, with little to show they were preparing for the end of the world. So it was another farce after all!

Fun Time
Life must still go on, i muttered to myself. Christmas is here and i must live the season to the maximum.
22nd December was a snowy day here in Ukraine. i woke up to see everywhere painted white with snow and it continued till almost midnight. On a usual day like this, i would have preferred to stay indoors and probably, go on excursions in my mind. But duty was calling. it was the maiden African Drama Night here and i couldn't afford to miss it. As if to add salt to injury, i happened to be the Team Leader for the YoungRF group that took care of the publicity of the drama. I just could not afford to stay home when i had actually invited friends to the show. I braced all odds and packed myself into a very thick winter jacket, and alas, there i went.
To my uttermost surprise, i was greeted to a teeming audience.That is when the musings of my good Naija friend, Callistus started resonating in my mind. " Nigerians will never disappoint", he would always say. I had to come to face facts, the drama did really sell. What could have done the magic? The YoungRF publicity we did or the fact that Nigerians love their own?

Surprises Galore
Whoever said the youth of today disdain their fathers' centuries old traditions and customs must probably be rewriting his notes by now. But for that night, i always thought any attempt to get the African students in Kharkiv, Ukraine to patronise a drama set in a typical West African antique culture would prove futile. How wrong i was! Perhaps, judging from the fact that most of the students here are children of the middle and upper class back home who were raised in cities, attended the best schools and identify more with the western culture, i succeeded in deceiving myself that they would just not be enthused by anything traditional. The success of the drama night rather exposed the flaws in my thinking. If there is anything about the youth and tradition, then it is the former's hunger for the latter. We yearn to visit ''the good old days'' and experience how life was back then. It may arouse in us, a sense of ''synthetic nostalgia'' and the fun can be immeasurable. To say that i enjoyed the drama is an understatement.

First, it was Chief Mboli Damba of Udura's unrepentant allegiance to tradition that cost him the death of his wife, Queen Ansa. In another typical Romeo and Juliet fashion, his only daughter, fell in love with the prince of a rival chief. For Mboli Damba to agree to that marriage? You must be dreaming!. You can go and set fire to the sea. He would never do such a thing. Trouble was in! The priest had announced earlier that a disaster that wou;d befall the village of Udura. for a moment, i thought the disaster was the presence of  Bambulu, the 'swaggerlicious' school teacher who would turn you on with his colonial style dressing. Tie, braces, short pants and long socks. The teacher was a real pain in Chief Damba's ass. He would bamboozle the village folk with his big Victorian vocabulary and turn them against the customs of the land. I was in my usual high spirit and as he spoke,I would sing to a colleague nearby. And guess what, it was the lyrics of the legendary Fela Kuti's all-time classic, 'Teacher, don't teach me no nonsense".
The night was indeed a power-packed one.The audience were thrilled and excited by every bit of the drama. Great story, good acting and full of humour. Suspense wasn't missing too. I enjoyed till the very last second. THIS IS OUR CHANCE, as the title says, was indeed my chance to come face to face with the rich Nigerian culture and history. My West African Colleagues have so much to show the world. And they are smart and innovative too. The director of this epic drama, like myself is a medical student who has a passion for th performing arts. Medicine could not restrain him. He showed his versatility.to the world.

Hatred Can Make Way for Friendship
The ending of the drama thought me a great lesson in life. That hatred should always make way for friendship to reign. The two villages gained nothing for fighting each other. They only lost people and assets. In the end, the marriage of the Prince and Princess from two feuding factions only made the two villages stronger and more happier. Not the usual thing to find in Africa. We prefer to make enemies than friends. We discriminate against tribes and ethnicities. After the drama, i whispered into a friend ear,...............This is indeed my our chance to make things right.
For the young, enthusiastic facebook and twitter generation, this drama night took us back to our roots and we learnt that our rich culture and history has a lot to teach us. 

I went for the show without a lady. Yes, am single. But in the end, i had a date with Nigerain antiquity and i love the time we spent together. Memories of this day will forever remain with me.

THE KUMASI ORGANOPHOSPHATE POISONING: ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE HEALTH CONSEQUENCES

INTRODUCTION .

 On Thursday December 6^th 2012, the media in Ghana reported of the incident of an explosion at an agrochemical warehouse in Kumasi.  This led to smoke and gas spillage of the chemicals stockpiled in the warehouse located at Atwima Boko, a small town near Kumasi.  A strong offensive, pungent smell accompanied the spill leading to breathing difficulties for residents around the areas of Abuakwa, Asuoyeboah, Kwadaso, Santasi and other surrounding suburbs. Reports had it that the gas and the accompanying offensive smell were practically spreading to all parts of the city. Several cases of hospitalization of victims who are mostly children were reported.  These chemicals contained organophosphates, compounds used in the manufacture of pesticides and other agrochemicals. Because of the toxic nature of these compounds, the United Nations (UN) under the auspices of the World Health Organization (WHO) put in place three (3) major international conventions to help control the manufacture, distribution (including import and export), storage and use of these chemicals as a matter of Public Health Safety.  They are the;

Rotterdam Convention (1998)

Stockholm Convention (2004)

Basel convention (1989)

Ghana, represented by the Environmental Protection Agency and the respective ministries has ratified these conventions, especially the Rotterdam Convention which we ratified on 30 May 2003. This is to augment the fact that these chemicals can be highly toxic and needs a concerted effort among Governments, State Agencies, NGOs, Traders, Farmers and all other Public Interest Groups to ensure public safety in the manufacture, distribution, storage, use and disposition of these chemicals. This report was commissioned by Samuel Ofori – Agyekum, a Ghanaian medical student to bring the public’s attention to the potential health hazards of prolonged exposure to these chemicals. It should be regarded as such and not to be taken as the final authority document on this subject.

WHAT ARE ORGANOPHOSPHATES?

An organophosphate (sometimes abbreviated OP) is the general name for esters of phosphoric acid. Phosphates are probably the most pervasive organophosphorus compounds.  They are mostly used in the manufacturing of pesticides and insecticides. For those of you in Ghana, most of the agrochemicals you see in the shops contain organophosphates.  But in the final processed form, they cannot be as harmful as the explosion in Kumasi which led to a direct spill. In the 1930s, the German military developed these substances as neurotoxins in World War II. They function as cholinesterase inhibitors, thereby affecting neuromuscular transmission. To the extent that these compounds can be used in war, should tell you of how dangerous they can be to your health, with lethal doses leading to death. 

HOW DO THEY WORK?

These compounds can enter our bodies through broken skin, our lungs when we inhale gas spills or smoke as happened in Kumasi or by mouth.Organophosphates work by a simple mechanism in our bodies. They target an enzyme called Acetylcholine esterase (AChE). The function of this enzyme is to degrade a neurotransmitter chemical  (Acetylcholine) that helps in the transmission of impulses to your muscles at the junction between these muscles and the nerves that innervate them. Organophosphate toxicity stops the action of these enzymes. What happens then is that your muscles continue to receive constant stimulation to the extent where they lose their strength and become very weak. When this happens, you will find difficulty in breathing; your heart will be beating too fast, and many other serious conditions.

HOW DOES IT AFFECT OUR HEALTH?

The Health effects of organophosphate toxicity can be grouped under different classes

1. Gastrointestinal:   They can cause nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, feacal incontinence.

2. Cardovascular:       Bradycadia ( Slow heart beat), Hypotension ( very low blood pressure). This can lead to fainting/collapse and even death if the heart is not able to pump enough blood to essential organs like the brain.

3.  Respiratory:           Severe respiratory distress (difficulty in breathing), constriction of the muscles of the walls of your bronchioles and cough.

4.  Ocular: Blurred vision,

5. Glands: Excessive Sweating,  Excessive and involuntary shedding of tears.

6. Nervous:  Anxiety, confusion, restlessness, seizures and coma.

Other potential health effects could be paralysis described as acute paralysis secondary to continued depolarization at the neuromuscular junction.

CAN THEIR EFFECTS BE MINIMIZED? AND HOW?

Yes. Their effects can be minimized through medical care. It is not the purpose of this report to offer specific medical solutions. Victims are advised to report to the nearest health facility for care. However, the immediate at-home solution is to wear protective nose masks to limit inhalation of these poisonous chemicals.

DISCLAIMER:  I do not intend to suggest, by this publication, its dissemination or otherwise that this the final authority document on organophosphate poisoning or toxicity. It is purely intended for educational purposes and should not be used as a substitute for expert medical advice based on special information available to the practitioner which I may not have access to. Because this is intended for public use, all medical details have been avoided as much as possible.