By Andrew Smith, Staff ReporterPROFESSOR KAHWA is well known in Jamaica for the work that he has done on the handling and disposal of asbestos. He has received support for his work from the Leverhulme Trust of the United Kingdom, the British Council, the National Science Foundation in the USA, the Third World Academy of Science and the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica.
Tanzania in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a place of change and transition. In 1961, Tanganyika became independent and in 1963, the island of Zanzibar followed. The two territories merged as Tanzania in 1964. According to Professor Kahwa, in his village of Bukura, Rwanyango, "there was not much communication as there is now there weren't a lot of people from our area who had actually been around the country". Added to this isolation was the fact that it was rare for his fellow villagers to receive an education past grade eight.
Those who did became young Ishenkumba's role models because he could see the difference that education made in their lives. They "were different from those who didn't (have an education). They wore nice clothes, had a bicycle or two, they had a few things, their houses looked different. That really was my inspiration the desire to succeed, to be like these people." So once he was at school, he says that, "I just wanted to study hard so that I can succeed... because I noticed as a young boy that success made a difference."
Professor Kahwa realised in second form that chemistry would be his life when he realised that he did not have to work hard at the subject to get good grades. On the contrary, he "enjoyed the subject, the colours, the smell of the gases it was full of action". In addition, he discovered an error in a chemistry textbook in high school. This opened the eyes of his teachers to his abilities, and they, along with others, were able to guide him to achieving his goals.
TANZANIA TO JAMAICA
Professor Kahwa obtained his Bachelor and Master degrees from the University of Dar es Salaam in Tanzania in 1976 and 1980 respectively. Six years later he received his Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) from the Louisiana State University in the United States. During this time, he applied his work in rare earths and nano-technology to development issues in Tanzania. These include the potential health risks of wood preservatives in bamboo water pipes. Between 1982 and 1896 he was a Fulbright Scholar, and in 1987 he joined the staff of the UWI, Mona.
Over the 15 years that Professor Kahwa has been at UWI, he has established many technological innovations. He set up a laser laboratory which is used to bombard molecules of rare earth atoms and molecules. By so doing, the information which is received has been used to develop materials which have the potential use in biomedical diagnostics, industrial catalysts and light-based computers.
In recent years, Professor Kahwa has been involved in the safe handling and disposal of Jamaica's toxic asbestos. This mineral was used to insulate and fire-proof buildings and bank vaults, but becomes toxic and carcinogenic over time. Working with the Ministry of Health and the then Natural Resources Conservation Authority, he has helped to set up a task force and working group to seek policy, legislative frameworks and solutions to the problem of asbestos disposal. For this endeavours, and for the public education on asbestos pollution, he has received funding from the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica.
SCIENCE IN JAMAICA
Professor Kahwa laments the state of science in Jamaica. He acknowledges that in Jamaica, as in most of the developing world, "the culture of science is weak". He says that, whereas in developed countries, youngsters will have taken apart radios at an early age to see how they work, this kind of behaviour hardly occurs in develping countries. As such, when students reach high school, it is that much harder to get them to be receptive to science.
He says that science is very important in the country's develop-ment process. He emphasises that. He adds: "Look at the issue of trade. Looking at trade competitiveness, we are looking at product quality, we are looking at meeting international standards, we are looking at what other elements are present in it both bad and good. We are looking at how this is produced, where this is produced. We need to manage farming areas, the environment and so on."
According to Professor Kahwa, science is also important in terms of poverty alleviation, "you can't (reduce poverty) without getting people to work, and getting people to work means developing new products, developing new processes which can engage people." Science is necessary in order for this to occur.
As Professor Kahwa walks the University campus, greeting students, colleagues and workers, it is plain that he has found a home. In 1995, Professor Ishen-kumba A. Kahwa took Jamaican citizenship, making this country the official home for himself, his wife and three children. He confirms that "we will stay here". This means that the significant contribution which Professor Kahwa has made to the development of science in Jamaica will continue.
