CAUSE MARKETING
We All Smile In The Same Language
By Emily Manjeru
What made you smile today ? Being alive ? A good morning kiss ? The aroma of coffee ? The showers of blessings ? A kind word ? A new car ? For me , just being here to tell you my stories makes me smile .
Every first Friday of October celebrates World Smile Day . Its history dates to 1963 when a commercial artist from Worcester , Massachusetts , Harvey Ball , created the first ever smiley face that went viral as a symbol of good cheer all over the world . In this heartwarming spirit , he thought that at least one day in the year , everyone would show acts of kindness and put a smile on someone ’ s face , regardless of creed , political ideologies or geographic distance . Since 1999 , World Smile Day continues to be a day to commemorate and certainly make a positive mark in someone ’ s life .
What do you call a smile in your mothertongue ? Mine resembles laughter - gutheka . I was recently in Nigeria for a nationwide media workshop . Before I tell you what they call a smile in some languages , let me share a few things about Africa ’ s most populous country that made me smile - their food was my favorite .
I ate all kinds of swallow , a soft mound made of flour from maize , wheat , cassava , pounded yam , another they call poundo . Their varieties of soups are not like from my motherland where it ’ s 10 percent food and 90 percent water . Their soups are thick , flavorful with a variety of vegetables ( each soup determined by the vegetable ) and meats from tripe , chicken to goat and fish . Did I mention the pepper gives you a taste of hell , yet chilli lovers like me are hopeless addicts ! My favorite soups are bitter leaf , ogbono and banga , each from a different part of the country . Hungry ?
Let ’ s get back to the Yoruba calling a smile erin ( pronounced ereng ’) the Igbo say imumu ono ochi and the Hausa call it murmushi . Please note the little dots and accents underneath the letters . It makes a world ’ s difference in pronunciation .
Wherever you are from , we all smile in the same language . This World Smile Day , I encourage us to extend special grace to patients living with untreated cleft . They cover their smiles because of the wide split on the upper lip that sometimes extends to the roof of the mouth . They hide in shame for fear of societal condemnation , bullying
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I encourage us to extend special grace to patients living with untreated cleft . They hide in shame for fear of societal condemnation , bullying and stigma . My incessant call to media is to help us tell these touching human-interest stories and debunk the myths that surround cleft while celebrating the unsung health heroes in their communities . and stigma . Their hearts and minds are burdened by thousands of questions and speculations , some untrue , others forced down their minds by unfounded myths and misconceptions .
Let ’ s be kinder with our words when teasing each other . Some hurt and can affect the other person ’ s way of interacting with people and their mental health . One of the reporters to whom I showed a picture of an elderly man with an untreated cleft wondered how he kissed his wife . Another old lady we met had one desire in her life - to drink soda out of a straw .
A smile is so much more . For a patient with cleft , it is their ability to eat , breath , speak ; it should therefore be free . I extend my deepest appreciation to the huge village of medical professionals who go out of their way to provide cleft treatment at no cost to the patient closer to their doorsteps .
In my interactions with Smile Train medical partners ranging from surgeons , nutritionists , anaesthesia providers , speech therapists , nurses and even community health workers , they work tirelessly sometimes in incredibly challenging circumstances to fight for and on behalf of their patients for better quality cleft treatment . They all agree to one thing - seeing their patient smile makes them smile .
My incessant call to media is to help us tell these touching human-interest stories and debunk the myths that surround cleft while celebrating the unsung health heroes in their communities . I wish you a smile-filled and uplifting season !
Emily Manjeru is the Communications Manager for Africa at Smile Train . You can commune with her via mail at : Emilymanjeru @ gmail . com .
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