In The Inspiring Mood With Women’s Rights & Diversity Activist, Fatumata Bah

Fatumata Bah was invited to speak at this year’s Suffrage 125 event in Wellington. Photo / Supplied

Success hasn’t come easy for Fatumata Bah, who left her native Sierra Leone amid a civil war and arrived in New Zealand as a refugee at just three years old.

It was around this time that Fatumata was also diagnosed with sickle cell disease (SCD), a hereditary form of anaemia in which mutated forms of haemoglobin distorts red blood cells into a crescent shape.

“The hallmark of SCD is a pain episode where certain areas of the body or organs are deprived from oxygen, due to a blocked blood vessel from a crescent-shaped red blood cell. The pain episodes vary in intensity and duration. Some crises can be managed at home, whereas others require hospitalisation and can often leave you bedridden,” she says.

It takes a lot of maturity to credit an incurable disease with shaping a person into who they are today, but Fatumata does just that. Despite the pain and hardship it’s caused, the 24-year-old remains grateful for the opportunities she’s had to grow and become a better person while battling the disease.

“I became aware of my mortality at a young age and through dealing with the ramifications of a chronic health illness it has contributed to my more mature and serious personality traits,” she explains.

With the odds stacked against her, Fatumata has since gone on to become a force to be reckoned with within this space, combating stereotypes around religion, ethnicity and gender, while encouraging migrants and refugee youth to engage in society on both a local and national level.

She credits a trip back to Sierra Leone in 2008 as an epiphany of sorts – as she didn’t take many memories of home with her after leaving at such a young age. “Although my parents often shared their stories of growing up, at the age of 14 my perspective and opinion of Africa and ‘home’ was very much shaped and influenced by what I saw in the media – poverty, famine, war and hopelessness,” she says. But in reality, Fatumata was shocked to learn her grandmother lived in a fully-fledged house, as opposed to a mud hut with a thatched roof.

That’s not to say there are no mud huts in Sierra Leone – there are. Her epiphany came upon realising that had her family not been accepted into New Zealand as refugees, her life would be very different.

“Having my turangawaewae [a Te Reo Maori term for place where we feel empowered or connected] in Sierra Leone and a ‘third world’ country provided me with a point of comparison, a reason to be grateful and humble, especially at times of materialism and vanity.”

This stirred up a passion for politics within Fatumata. “It also allowed me to acknowledge the power that everyday citizens in New Zealand have. We have the right to vote… we have MPs within our communities that are easily accessible and want to hear from us about our concerns,” she explains.

Fatumata explains that Kiwis, unlike millions of people around the world, are privileged to live in the land of opportunity – a place where they’re able to be a part of the change they want to see in their communities, without fearing for their lives. And with this privilege, comes a great deal of responsibility “to vote and be heard, as well as the responsibility to contribute to the harmony and advancement of our community, whether that is at a local or national level.”

While she acknowledges that New Zealand is doing well in this area, Fatumata believes there is room for improvement. “Local and central government are not really reflective of the diversity within our communities,” she says. “We need to care and we need to be involved if we want our stories, hopes and dreams to shape the future of New Zealand.”

New Zealand’s race relations have always been a sore point in our political history, but Fatumata says that compared to the likes of Australia and the US, we should “give ourselves a pat on the back.”

“However, I do not think it is a reason for complacency. As long as there is one person who feels discriminated against or disempowered to be themselves, we have room for improvement and to be the best version of ourselves,” she says.

Currently in her last year of a conjoint Bachelor of Health Science (Psychology) and Bachelor of Business Degree (Management) at AUT, where Fatumata is a stakeholder and acts as a liaison executive for the African Students Club.

Her activism for women’s right has seen Fatumata represent New Zealand at events all over the world. In March this year, she was invited to speak at the Suffrage 125 event at Government House in Wellington, alongside notable female Kiwis including Helen Clark, Dame Jane Campion, Hon Julie Ann Genter, Hilary Barry and Rachel Hunter. In 2016, Fatumata represented New Zealand at the 33Sixty Commonwealth Young Leaders Programme in Glasgow, Scotland, and spoke at last year’s Festival For the Future event held at Auckland’s Aotea Centre.

Juggling her commitments as a motivational speaker, student and activist is no easy feat, especially on days when Fatumata is feeling a little under the weather.

“I never know when I am going to have a crisis or what part of my life will be impacted, so I try to do as much as I can in the moment because my good health or the future for that fact, is not guaranteed,” says Fatumata, who sits on Leukaemia & Blood Cancer New Zealand’s consumer advisory board.

While there is currently no cure for SCD, research and medical trials in America are promising. Fatumata remains hopeful that a cure will be discovered in her lifetime, but still counts herself lucky to be here.

“I am fortunate that after two major operations back in 2009, where I had my spleen and gallbladder removed as a consequence of frequent sickle cell crises, my quality of life increased dramatically. I went from almost monthly hospitalisations to one to three yearly hospitalisations,” she says.

Daily prevention of a pain episode includes a “beautiful concoction of colourful medications to decrease symptoms and help me manage the pain”, as well as dressing warmly, managing stress levels, and keeping arnica cream and hot water bottle or wheat bag nearby.

But rather than adopt a defeatist attitude, Fatumata says that she’s a big believer that everything happens for a reason.

“The metaphor/analogy that I like to use with SCD is perpetually falling off the horse and getting back on. Sometimes when you fall you need to stay on the ground longer before you recollect yourself and that’s okay, as long as you eventually get back on the horse again and carry on.”

Meet Dilmah’s inspiring new blend – a Green Rooibos tea artfully blended with holy basil, ginger, lemon and lemongrass. This naturally caffeine free infusion is like spring time in a cup – a burst of citrus followed by herby, spicy notes and a mildly savoury tulsi finish.

This is part of a special Viva and Dilmah editorial series celebrating the Dilmah Moods of Spring. To see more, go to Viva.co.nz/Dilmah.

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