The rain is pouring down when Joan Nunnely (51) enters the market in The Hague this afternoon. In her wake are more than ten doctors, all of color, most of Afro-Caribbean backgrounds. What are they going to do? Addressing people one on one about corona. ‘Very necessary,’ says Nunnely, D66 politician and entrepreneur, ‘because the willingness to vaccinate is low in this group.’
The GGD does not know exactly how low that is, because ‘no hard data is kept about this group’. A survey by the Amsterdam UMC and Helius last summer showed that about 45 percent planned to be vaccinated. There is no follow-up investigation yet. But it is clear that, while the booster campaign has gained momentum, many Dutch people of Afro-Caribbean descent have often not yet had their first shot.
When Nunnely herself lost two friends to corona a while ago, she decided to take action. She started the Covid Urgent Team, where she – with internists and infectiologists of color – tries to better inform the Surinamese community in the Netherlands about the virus. According to Nunnely, a really different group from that of Turkish and Moroccan Dutch, where there are other reasons, such as problems with the language, for not getting a vaccination.
Not presented
‘The big problem with the Afro-Caribbean community is that they don’t see themselves represented in any way. There are no black people in the OMT and you don’t see any black doctors at the talk shows.’ The list of corona faces that the Netherlands often saw is indeed predominantly white, with Van Dissel, De Jonge, Kuipers and Gommers. ‘The diversity at the bottom is going well,’ says Nunnely, ‘but not in the key positions.’
According to the Covid Urgent Team, the consequence of the lack of a ‘black Jaap van Dissel’ is a reason for the low willingness to vaccinate. Nunnely: ‘And then there is also the fact that many have their own media channels. Radio Tamara, radio Mart, radio Stanvaste and Sunrise Radio have a huge range. As a politician you have to invest in that.’ Nunnely is now a welcome guest on the popular radio stations. ‘Then I also take a doctor with me, who can contradict misinformation and convey the urgency.’
It remains to be seen whether the urgency will come across a bit on the market in The Hague this afternoon. ‘But,’ says oncologist Joachim Kikomeko, ‘if I can convince someone to call the doubt telephone, that is already a step.’ Most of the market visitors they appeal to don’t even think about getting a shot. “So then a little bit of hesitation is a start.” Now and then Nunnely is shocked by the reactions she gets. ‘From ‘infertility’, and ‘affecting the genes’, to ‘the government wants to kill us with the vaccine’: you hear it all come up.’
Own home remedies
Another theme is the belief in wintis, an Afro-Surinamese religion with magical rituals, medicine men and ghosts. Nunnely: ‘Surinamese rely on ossodresi, their own home remedies, without vaccination. But the winti gods, who are also my gods, want the best for us. The vaccine also fits in with that.’
Denise Telgt, internist-infectiologist and of Surinamese descent, recognizes this. ‘Many Surinamese, also highly educated, have faith in the original medicinal culture,’ she says over the phone. ‘Someone with cancer is always immediately recommended all kinds of leaves, herbs or soup.’ Telgt also sees a lot of suspicion. ‘The feeling of ‘you don’t know what the Dutch are going to do with us’.’ And about the vaccine: ‘It was made for white people. You don’t know what those bakras are doing in there.’
Addressing people one on one, as Nunnely does, is the best way to turn the tide, thinks Surinamese-Dutch field epidemiologist Amrish Baidjoe. “At some point, vaccine readiness has reached a plateau. From that point on it is very difficult to convince people. Then you have to go door to door.’ Baidjoe also sees the problem with the representation of the group. ‘There are extremely few people of color in the OMT. That is worrying. And worse is that we see these kinds of problems too late.’
According to Baidjoe it is now important to look at certain ‘champions’ within each population group. ‘The Surinamese community is diverse, people can have Creole, Chinese, Javanese or Hindustani roots. Within those groups you have to win over the religious leaders. Those are the stars, the role models.’
Within the community
Baidjoe also sees that information about corona in the Surinamese community is mainly obtained from whatsapp groups with family and friends. ‘The videos that are shared are very important to people. As an outsider it is not so easy for you to intervene. So that has to happen within the community.’
He himself has already set a good example. ‘In my own family app group I saw a video about vaccination and magnetic spoons. “That’s nonsense,” I immediately texted. It was believed ‘because Amrish said so’ Later Baidjoe called his family again. ‘You are now going to call and get vaccinated,’ he says. “That was a bit directive, but they listened. That’s how Surinamese people work again.’