In early 19th-century Nigeria, Mary Slessor emerged as a fearless advocate against the cultural practice of the killing of twins. Born on 2nd December 1848 in Aberdeen, Scotland, Slessor’s journey to becoming a symbol of help and change in Africa was both unexpected and remarkable.
Mary Slessor whose family was poor was the second out of seven children. Her father was an alcoholic and couldn’t keep up with shoe-making then later took up a job as a labourer in the Mill whereas her mother was a weaver. This champion of humanism Mary had to take part-time work to survive after the tragedic death of her father and brothers, who died of pneumonia. She was left with her mother and her sisters. Slessor’s mother was a devoted Presbyterian who read each issue of the Missionary Record, a monthly magazine published by the United Presbyterian Church to inform members of the missionary activities and needs.
Mary Slessor developed an interest in religion and wanted to teach. When, at the age of 27 she heard that David Livingstone, a famous missionary and explorer, had died, she decided to follow in his footsteps.
Eventually, Slessor applied to the United Presbyterian Church’s Foreign Mission Board for missionary training After training in Edinburgh, she set off on board the ship, SS Ethiopia on 5 August 1876, and arrived at her destination in West Africa then, a month later,
She was first assigned to the Calabar region in the land of the Efik people and was enlightened on their beliefs in seeing twins as a bad omen as this was common amongst unmarried women because whenever these twins were given birth to, they were thrown into the evil forest to be eaten by wild animals or to starved to death.
Driven by this, Slessor gains the trust of the people and learns the Efik language. She faced first-hand consequence of twin killing and it fueled her determination to put an end to the evil practice. Mary Slessor engaged with families who suffered from the superstitious belief, whereby she adopted and nurtured the abandoned twins and provided a home for them. With this single act, she was able to show that twins can bring joy and happiness and not calamities. She moved from individual interactions and brought the matter to the attention of the Colonial authorities, fought hard for the rights of these twins and showed so much compassion towards them.
Her persistence bore fruits and actions were taken to put an end to the practice. Therefore policies were made towards putting an end to the killing of twins.
Mary Slessor’s persistence and how she fought became historical thus saving many lives and many homes from further waste from the damages caused by superstitious beliefs. Thus she brought justice to the downtrodden and due to these actions, she was highly respected and remembered internationally till date. Her story serves as a reminder that the pursuit of justice and empathy, can break down even the toughest situations. She became a character that should be emulated by many.
