Guy’s and St Thomas’ unveils mural celebrating African women in healthcare

A mural celebrating the contribution of African women in healthcare has been unveiled by Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust.

The artwork features six pioneering women who represent a range of eras – from contemporary people, like current staff member Metian Parsanka, to historical health workers.

The mural is a product of a research initiative by the Young Historians Project – a non-profit organisation formed by young people of African and Caribbean descent. It is the third piece in a series of commemorative murals created with heritage interpreter and artist, Dr Michele Curtis.

The mural is displayed on the outside of the recently refurbished Nuffield Theatre Suite at Guy’s Hospital, which provides two new state-of-the-art theatres, surgery prep rooms, a recovery space and surgical admissions lounge. The new admissions lounge has been designed to help improve privacy and dignity for patients, and includes artwork by female artists with an African or Caribbean heritage to create a welcoming environment.  

The colourful background motif of the outside mural is formed of medicinal plants located on the African continent, including the mangrove forests for their rich biodiversity located across Africa as well as the Caribbean.

Metian Parsanka, an advanced clinical practitioner and highly specialist occupational therapist in the emergency department (A&E) at St Thomas’ Hospital, features in the artwork. She was born in Kenya in a small village near Kilimanjaro, and came to the UK at 14 years old.

Metian said:

I am honoured to be included in such a vibrant display of African women in British healthcare, highlighting the great work delivered by a diverse multicultural workforce.

 

I am surprised, privileged and happy to be able to represent my culture and profession amongst such accomplished women.

Other women featured in the artwork include:

• Kofoworola Abeni ‘Ivy’ Pratt – she was born in 1910 in Lagos, Nigeria. Kofoworola trained as a nurse at the Nightingale School at St Thomas’ Hospital from 1946 to 1950. She is often dubbed the Florence Nightingale of Nigeria due to her influence shaping nursing in Nigeria.
   
• Matilda Clerk – she was born in 1916 in Larteh, Gold Coast (present day Ghana). She was the first Ghanaian woman in any field to be granted a scholarship abroad to study medicine at Edinburgh University, which she attended from 1944 to 1949. She later became the first Ghanaian woman to earn a post-graduate diploma.
   
• Dzagbele Matilda Asante – she was born in Ghana in 1927 and worked as a teacher before migrating to the UK. In 1947, she arrived in Dover and began training as a nurse at Barnet Hospital, Central Middlesex Hospital in Harlesden, and later studied health visiting at Battersea Polytechnic.
   
• Blanche La Guma (née Herman) – she was born in 1927 in Athlone, South Africa, and trained as a nurse and midwife in the 1950s. Blanche pursued activism against the Apartheid regime. While in London, Blanche chose to complete a six-month refresher course in midwifery and conducted house calls in 1967.
   
• Dr Irene Elizabeth Beatrice Ighodaro (née Wellesley-Cole) – she was born in 1916 in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Irene studied medicine at the University of Durham from 1938 to 1944 becoming the first West African-born woman doctor in Britain.

Artist Dr Michele Curtis said:

I’m very proud to be a part of such an incredible creative placemaking project. It’s been an absolute pleasure to work with the Young Historians Project and the Trust on a subject so dear to my heart. I’m excited to see this project continue to grow from strength to strength.

This mural was made possible through the support of Guy’s and St Thomas’ arts department and the Greater London Authority Fund, Untold Stories grants by the Commission for Diversity in Public Realm.

Kaitlene Koranteng, a project manager from the Young Historians Project, said:

The achievements of African women, both in present day and historically, are under acknowledged. This mural is the result of research, listening and learning that history. I hope this mural will serve to teach others and allow people to stop, learn and dig deeper. It’s been an honour to play a part in bringing this mural to reality.

Marie-France Kittler, deputy arts manager at Guy’s and St Thomas’, said:

I am delighted to have delivered this public art commission for the Trust. Designed in consultation with our Multicultural Staff Network, Michele Curtis’ impressive mural represents an important step towards demonstrating our continued commitment to diversifying the Trust’s public realm. Our partnership with Young Historians Project has been instrumental in expanding the narrative of the Trust’s history and heritage.