A story of healing and repair

Between 2014 and 2016, an outbreak of Ebola virus disease occurred in West Africa. Guinea, Sierra Leone and Liberia experienced the highest burden, although there was some spill-over in other countries – Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, USA, UK, Italy, and Spain. This was not the first Ebola outbreak, but it was exceptional for its severity and length. At the time, no vaccine or drugs were available to prevent the disease or to cure those affected.

The Secret of the Bush is a “lived experience” story, based on Dr Grazia Caleo’s work in Sierra Leone with Doctors Without Borders, at the time of Ebola.
Baby Fatau, a 10-year-old girl, and her beloved grandmother, Grand Mammy Hawa, a traditional healer, share a close emotional bond, and together face the arrival of Ebola in their beautiful and peaceful village.
This is a story of healing and repair, aimed at removing stigma and enhancing community cohesion, and acknowledges the strength and compassion of children and the elderly.

It will be especially appreciated by children over seven and young adults.

A collaboration between Dr Grazia Caleo, doctor and writer, and Kremena Dimitrova, illustrator.

Dr Grazia Caleo is a medical doctor and a public health specialist – she completed a PhD at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. She was based in West Africa with Médecins Sans Frontières and has worked in a range of emergencies in countries including Sierra Leone, Eritrea, Mozambique, Niger, Central African Republic, Zambia, Chad, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, and Bangladesh.

Kremena Dimitrova is an illustrator and has specialised in visual storytelling in the cultural, heritage, and education sectors for more than 10 years. Working with oral histories, folklore, archives, and artefacts, Dimitrova uses a mixture of artistic approaches, text and images, creative writing, mapmaking – with a touch of humour and emotion – to bring untold, hidden, forgotten, and marginalised narratives to life. She has worked with the British Museum, Barbican, Southbank Centre and NHS among other institutions in the UK.

Abeni Opeyemi

Abeni Opeyemi is a paralegal with experience in the fields of education law, copyright infringement, social media and professional disciplinary. An avid reader, she loves to read books to her children, nephews and nieces.

” Many thanks to Sallambo Press for the review copy.”