Bath hospital mural celebrates African women in healthcare

A mural celebrating the contribution of African women to healthcare has been unveiled.

The artwork at the main atrium at the Royal United Hospital (RUH) in Bath depicts four women who all have connections to hospitals in the area.

One of those included in the design is current RUH staff member Olugbemisola Kolade, who attended the unveiling.

"We're so grateful for this inspiring and thoughtful gift," said RUH chief executive Cara Charles-Banks.

The Young Historians Project carried out research into who would be included in the mural, which was designed by artists Michele Curtis and Nadia Lloyd.

"We've been extremely lucky to have commissioned Michele for the mural, who's perfectly interpreted our ideas and research, and transformed them into a beautiful art piece," said The Young Historians.

"We hope this work inspires more people to engage with and research the history of African women in Britain's healthcare sector, to ensure it is no longer a 'hidden' history," they added.

Ms Curtis said it had been an "honour" to work on the mural, adding: "I champion this project and I'm very excited to be a part of its evolution."

Alongside Ms Kolade, the mural features Princess Tsehai Selassie who lived at Fairfield House, Bath. She used her time in England to train as a children's nurse while her family was in exile from Ethiopia.

It also honours nurse and social justice campaigner Bijou Bidwell from Sierra Leone, who studied at Bristol Royal Infirmary (BRI) and Hannah Jawara, from Gambia, who also studied at BRI before co-founding an organisation promoting education for girls.

Ms Charles-Barks added: "I'm so pleased we'll have the beautiful mural here as a daily reminder of how important our history is and the African women who have contributed to this."

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