Annalena Tonelli (2 April 1943 – 5 October 2003) was an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
Catholic lay missionary and social activist. She worked for 33 years in
East Africa
East Africa, Eastern Africa, or East of Africa, is the eastern subregion of the African continent. In the United Nations Statistics Division scheme of geographic regions, 10-11-(16*) territories make up Eastern Africa:
Due to the historical ...
, where she focused on
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
and
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
prevention and treatment, campaigns for eradication of
female genital mutilation
Female genital mutilation (FGM), also known as female genital cutting, female genital mutilation/cutting (FGM/C) and female circumcision, is the ritual cutting or removal of some or all of the external female genitalia. The practice is found ...
, and special schools for hearing-impaired, blind and disabled children. In June 2003, Tonelli was awarded the
Nansen Refugee Award
The Nansen Refugee Award is awarded annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, Internally displaced person, displac ...
, which is given annually by the
UNHCR
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees. In October 2003, she was killed inside her hospital by two gunmen. She is a candidate for
sainthood
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Catholic, Eastern Ortho ...
within the
Catholic Church in Somalia
The Catholic Church in Somalia is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome.
Overview
There are very few Catholics in Somalia, with only about one hundred practitioners as of 2004.
The whole of th ...
.
Biography
Annalena Tonelliwas born in 1943 in
Forlì
Forlì ( , ; rgn, Furlè ; la, Forum Livii) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and city in Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy, and is the capital of the province of Forlì-Cesena. It is the central city of Romagna.
The city is situated along the Via E ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
. She studied Law, becoming a lawyer after graduation.
After "six years of service to poor people of the suburbs, to orphan children, mentally or physically disabled or abused kids" of her own town, in 1969, the then 25-year-old Tonelli went to
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
supported by the ''Committee Against World Hunger'' of Forlì, that she had helped to start its activity.
Kenya
Wajir
In 1969, Tonelli moved to
Kenya
)
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, where she began working as a teacher at Wajir Secondary School. After some years she studied to be a nurse too and spent over a decade in the town of
Wajir
Wajir ( so, Wajeer) is the capital of the Wajir County of Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province.
History
A cluster of cairns near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Maadiinle, a semi-legendary peo ...
caring for the destitute and ill.
Already in 1976, Tonelli became responsible for a
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a specialized agency of the United Nations responsible for international public health. The WHO Constitution states its main objective as "the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of h ...
(WHO) pilot project for treating tuberculosis in nomadic people. Tonelli invited nomadic tuberculotic patients to camp in front of the ''Rehabilitation Centre for Disabled'' she was running with other female volunteers who joined her to serve
poliomyelitic, blind, deaf-mute, and disabled people. This approach guaranteed patients' compliance in taking the therapy over the needed six-month treatment, and it was adopted by WHO as
DOTS
Directly observed treatment, short-course (DOTS, also known as TB-DOTS) is the name given to the tuberculosis (TB) control strategy recommended by the World Health Organization. According to WHO, "The most cost-effective way to stop the spread of T ...
(Directly Observed Therapy Short).
Tonelli also created a deaf school in
Wajir
Wajir ( so, Wajeer) is the capital of the Wajir County of Kenya. It is situated in the former North Eastern Province.
History
A cluster of cairns near Wajir are generally ascribed by the local inhabitants to the Maadiinle, a semi-legendary peo ...
whose graduates have gone to other parts of Somali-speaking Africa to start schools. A former pupil from this Wajir deaf school and two deaf women from Wajir established the first schools of
Somali Sign Language
Somali Sign Language (SSL) is a sign language used by the deaf community in Somaliland and Djibouti.
In the 1980s a school for the deaf was established in the Somali Kenyan town of Wajir by Annalena Tonelli. Students there became fluent in Ken ...
.
In 1984, following political and inter-
clan
A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship
and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clans may claim descent from founding member or apical ancestor. Clans, in indigenous societies, tend to be endogamous, meaning ...
clashes, the army of
Kenya
)
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, image_map =
, map_caption =
, image_map2 =
, capital = Nairobi
, coordinates =
, largest_city = Nairobi
, ...
started a repression campaign against the
Degodia
The Degoodi or Degodia ( so, Degoodi or Degoodiya, ar, دغودي) is a Somali clan.
They are genealogically related to the other Samaale, but in particular to the Garjante, Gaalje'el, Masare, Isa (Saransor) and 'Awrmale, with which they share ...
Somali clan in the Wajir area known as the
Wagalla Massacre
The Wagalla massacre was a massacre of ethnic Somalis by the Kenyan Army on 10 February 1984 in Wajir County, Kenya.
Daniel arap Moi opened barracks near Wagalla, where he brought soldiers to 'discipline the villagers irrespective of age'.
Mas ...
. The Degodia were suspected of being
Shifta
Shifta is a term used in East Africa meaning ''rebel'', ''outlaw'', or ''bandit''. The Swahili word was loaned from the Somali shufta during the Shifta War, which is in turn derived from Amharic ሽፍታ (šəfta). Historically, the shifta serv ...
or bandits along the roadways. The Kenyan military rounded up 5000 men and boys and brought them to the Wagalla Airstrip and forced them to lie on the stomachs naked for 5 days. Possibly a thousand were shot, tortured or died of exposure. Annalena brought a couple lorries and her Toyota Serf to the Wagalla Airstrip and attempted to collect the bodies and treat the wounded but was refused. Later she followed the tracks of the military vehicles who were dumping the bodies outside the Wagalla Airstrip. Some were not dead and she rescued them. She brought a journalist to photograph the genocide. She smuggled the photos out with
Barbara Lefkow, the wife of an American diplomat to put pressure on the international community. The public denunciation by Annalena Tonelli helped to stop the killings but not before thousands died. The
Wagalla Massacre
The Wagalla massacre was a massacre of ethnic Somalis by the Kenyan Army on 10 February 1984 in Wajir County, Kenya.
Daniel arap Moi opened barracks near Wagalla, where he brought soldiers to 'discipline the villagers irrespective of age'.
Mas ...
is Kenya's worst human rights violation in its history. Arrested and taken in front of a martial court she was told that the fact she escaped two ambushes was not a guarantee to survive a third one. Due to Tonelli's vehement protests over the Kenyan military's use of violence against the Wajir community, the Kenyan authorities refused to extend her work permit. Tonelli subsequently relocated to
Somalia
Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
.
Somalia and Somaliland
![Annalena Deaf School - Borama, Somaliland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c4/Annalena_Deaf_School_-_Borama%2C_Somaliland.JPG)
Tonelli first settled in the southern port town of
Merca
Merca ( so, Marka, Maay Maay, Maay: ''Marky'', ar, مركة) is a historic port city in the southern Lower Shebelle province of Somalia. It is located approximately to the southwest of the nation's capital Mogadishu. Merca is the traditional home ...
, which during the colonial period was part of
Italian Somaliland
Italian Somalia ( it, Somalia Italiana; ar, الصومال الإيطالي, Al-Sumal Al-Italiy; so, Dhulka Talyaaniga ee Soomaalida), was a protectorate and later colony of the Kingdom of Italy in present-day Somalia. Ruled in the 19th centur ...
. She later moved to
Borama
Borama ( so, Boorama, ar, بورما) is the Second capital city of Somaliland and the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
During the Mid ...
in the northwestern
Awdal
Awdal ( so, Awdal, ar, أودَل) is an administrative region (''Administrative divisions of Somaliland, gobol'') in western Somaliland. It was separated from Woqooyi Galbeed and became a province in 1984 and is the most northwesterly provinc ...
region, a town in the former
British Somaliland
British Somaliland, officially the Somaliland Protectorate ( so, Dhulka Maxmiyada Soomaalida ee Biritishka), was a British Empire, British protectorate in present-day Somaliland. During its existence, the territory was bordered by Italian Soma ...
protectorate.
Tonelli would spend the next 19 years working in Somalia.
In Borama, Tonelli founded a
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
hospital on the grounds of a colonial period facility. Her family and friends in Italy helped finance the hospital, contributing $20,000 a month for maintenance.
![Annalena TB Hospital](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/17/Annalena_TB_Hospital.png)
In October 2003, Tonelli was assassinated at the
tuberculosis
Tuberculosis (TB) is an infectious disease usually caused by '' Mycobacterium tuberculosis'' (MTB) bacteria. Tuberculosis generally affects the lungs, but it can also affect other parts of the body. Most infections show no symptoms, in ...
hospital she started in
Borama
Borama ( so, Boorama, ar, بورما) is the Second capital city of Somaliland and the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
During the Mid ...
by unknown gunmen. There are several rumors about why she was killed. The most plausible is that she was killed by a group who protested her bringing
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
patients into
Borama
Borama ( so, Boorama, ar, بورما) is the Second capital city of Somaliland and the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
During the Mid ...
. In November 2002, hundreds of protesters marched in front of her
Borama
Borama ( so, Boorama, ar, بورما) is the Second capital city of Somaliland and the largest city of the northwestern Awdal region of Somaliland The commercial seat of the province, it is situated near the border with Ethiopia.
During the Mid ...
hospital throwing stones and shouting "Death to Annalena." They felt she was spreading the disease in their city. Other rumors say she was killed by a disgruntled former worker who felt she owed him a job or that she was killed by men belonging to
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya
Al-Itihaad al-Islamiya (AIAI; ar-at, الاتحاد الإسلامي, lit=The Islamic Union) was an Islamist militant group in Somalia. It is considered a terrorist organisation by the United States, the United Kingdom and New Zealand.
Histor ...
.
Two weeks after Tonelli's assassination,
Dick and Enid Eyeington Richard "Dick" Eyeington (November 1 1940 – October 22 2003) and Enid Eyeington (; October 25 1941 – October 22 2003) were a married British couple. Richard and Enid worked as aid workers to Somaliland until their murders in 2003.
Southern Af ...
were murdered in their flat at the
SOS Sheikh Secondary School The former SOS Sheikh Secondary School (currently known as Pharo Sheikh Secondary School) is situated near the town of Sheikh in a remote part of the country Somaliland, and a three-hour drive from the country's capital, Hargeisa. The once-renowned ...
in the town of
Sheekh
Sheikh ( so, Sheekh, ar, شَيخ), also known as Shiikh, is a town in the northwestern Sahil[Somalilan ...](_blank)
, situated in northwestern
Somaliland
Somaliland,; ar, صوماليلاند ', ' officially the Republic of Somaliland,, ar, جمهورية صوماليلاند, link=no ''Jumhūrīyat Ṣūmālīlānd'' is a ''de facto'' sovereign state in the Horn of Africa, still conside ...
. The assassins possibly belonged to the same terror cell. They were reportedly arrested in 2004, tried and sentenced to death under a local court.
Awards
In June 2003, Tonelli was presented the
Nansen Refugee Award
The Nansen Refugee Award is awarded annually by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to an individual, group, or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, Internally displaced person, displac ...
. The prize is given annually by the
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
to recognize outstanding service to the cause of refugees.
References
External links
Riportiamo la testimonianza della donna che ha operato per lunghi anni in Somalia al servizio dei più bisognosiby Annalena Tonelli
Stronger than Death: How Annalena Tonelli Defied Terror and Tuberculosis in the Horn of Africa by Rachel Pieh Jones
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tonelli, Annalena
1943 births
2003 deaths
People from Forlì
Italian activists
Assassinated activists
Assassinated Italian people
Italian people murdered abroad
Italian Servants of God
21st-century venerated Christians
21st-century Roman Catholic martyrs
Italian women lawyers
20th-century Italian lawyers
21st-century Italian lawyers
HIV/AIDS activists
20th-century women lawyers
21st-century women lawyers
October 2003 crimes
October 2003 events in Africa
Nansen Refugee Award laureates