A Zimbabwe-born healthcare worker is among the recent intake of new St Peter Port douzeniers.
Marianne Muduviwa, who moved to the island in 2018, finished in third place in the parish’s election last month.
Wishing to enhance St Peter Port’s cultural offering, as well as expanding her already-extensive community work, were among her reasons for standing.
‘We have a very vibrant community in St Peter Port and I’m excited to be part of it as a douzenier,’ she said.
While she was born in Zimbabwe, Ms Muduviwa moved to South Africa when she was young and attended high school there.
Heavily inspired by Nelson Mandela, she soon became politically engaged, and ended up working for him between 1998 and 2000 on one of his legacy programmes.
‘What he achieved for the country was incredible. I remember when South Africa won the 1995 Rugby World Cup and he presented the team with the trophy,’ she said.
‘It was so inspiring to see, because it had been unimaginable at one stage.’
In 2004 she moved to the UK and retrained in healthcare.
She developed an interest in art and design through her work, after following her aunt to Guernsey in 2018, she became involved with creative projects at the hospital.
She currently leads on art and design for the therapy and enablement team at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.
‘I work with patients on the wards, doing creative stuff,’ she said. ‘Together with them and my colleagues we come up with projects that speak to Guernsey people, and tell the story of the island’s heritage, all throughout the hospital.’
Guernsey’s beauty was something Ms Muduviwa said resonated strongly with her, and she hoped to preserve it as part of her role as douzenier. While admitting the job would be a steep learning curve, she said she was eager to get stuck in, and had a particular desire to contribute on matters relating to tourism and culture.
‘Seafront Sundays, and the strong French link we now have, I’d like to see what else can be done in those areas.’
She also hoped to work closely with different groups, most notably the island’s LGBTQ+ organisations, as well as assist seasonal workers with their integration into the island – something she already had experience of through her work as a community liaison lead.
‘I want to meet as many people as I can, understand where they’re coming from, and try and support them where possible.’
She said she had received great support from parish constables Ken Acott and Di Mitchell on her journey into parish politics.
‘Ken and Di have been so welcoming and have talked me through the role, and now I just can’t wait to get involved in the community projects.’
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