Raymond Kabia interview and PDF transcript

This file has some audio problems, please see access copy of interview (OH3/15/3) for clearer audio.[00:00:00] Appointment as District Coordinator after reorganisation from DRC to NERC in September. Background including leadership APC North America since 1973, long residence North America, previous roles Ministry Local Government and Ministry Internal Affairs. Arrival Port Loko on 28 September. District Medical Officer overwhelmed by workload and lack resources. [00:04:30] Report of 80–100 Ebola cases per month. Six infected chiefdoms out of eleven; three severely infected. District with two ambulances only: one Port Loko, one Lungi, no holding centres, no treatment centres, no laboratory, patient transport to Kenema or Kailahun on eight to ten hour journeys, with many deaths en route., need for staff, trained personnel, nurses. [00:07:10] Development of district plan and budget. Identification Port Loko as high risk Ebola area due to northern cultural patterns. Contrast between northern region and eastern/southern districts: eastern and southern paramount chiefs with strong authority; northern chiefs with reduced authority. Explanation of reduced respect for northern paramount chiefs through politicisation of chiefdomcy prior Chiefdoms Act 2009. [00:12:00] Influence religion among Soso and Temne groups. Description strong Soso Muslim practices: washing corpses, close contact in mosques, secret burials, secret washing bodies. [00:14:40] Example Kaffu Bullom as area with continued cases; Masoila as location of case on 9 March. [00:17:00] Description expansion district capacity: new lab processing 300 blood samples daily; holding and treatment centres with 500+ beds; surveillance vehicles; burial vehicles; burial teams in chiefdoms. Continued challenge enforcing by laws due to weak authority of paramount chiefs, section chiefs, village headmen. Description riverine geography Port Loko district: gateway by sea and land; major fishing communities; Loko Massama as largest chiefdom; Bailor Wharf with 16,000 population; night fish trade with boats from Aberdeen in Freetown. [00:22:30] Mangrove and rohombe swamps creating difficult terrain for patrol. Ferry system Freetown–Tagreen, Lungi. Attempts to lock ferry; compensation costs; limited naval presence. [00:26:30] Examples violations causing infections. Case Thigbonor to Kathorma: visitor allowed in village headman’s house; headman, mother, visitor infected and died; over fifteen deaths Kathorma; over twenty deaths Thigbonor. [00:32:00] Case Maska: village headman hiding sick wife and mother in law; secret night burials; several infections; headman infected. [00:34:00] Plan for meeting Friday 13th with section chiefs, village headmen, youth leaders, paramount chiefs, councillors to request solutions. Continued challenges traditional burial practices; belief immunity; secret corpse washing. Role traditional healers and Orjeh secret society. [00:38:00] Example Thigbonor woman visiting PHU Bailor Wharf then [Ayabo] healer; healer, helpers, patient infected and died; secret burials; village wide outbreak. Example Lungi police officer calling healer, dying in barracks. [00:45:00] Statement high illiteracy rates (70–80%); need education, health facility development, hygiene education in schools. Schools reopening; Ebola and hygiene to enter curriculum. [00:47:00] Belief education key for disease reduction and economic recovery. Final reflection on district progress: increase ambulances from two to sixteen; creation holding centres; creation burial and surveillance systems; call to communities for guidance on remaining actions. [00:48:39] End of interview. This content summary was created from the interview transcript in February 2026 using M365 Copilot Chat. The content summary was then reviewed against the audio by the cataloguer.

09/03/2015

491 MB 1 WAV file, 1 transcript

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PDF transcript created by archivist for preservation and access reasons. See OH3/15/2 for original Microsoft Word format version of transcript.

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