Powerful book by Hilarian author uncovers the strength of Moses' Mothers

Hilarian author, Alison Southgate

As cliché as it may sound, behind every great man, there had to be a great woman. The son of two mothers, Moses the Israelite hero, was arguably better than 'great'. But the women whose courage, sacrifice and unending passion that made Moses' life possible have been disregarded over time. Hilarian author, Alison Southgate tells their story in her book, entitled “The Mothers of Moses”. 

The tale of Moses’ separation from his Hebrew mother, Yocheved is portrayed as a happy event on the River Nile in children's storybooks. As a mother of two small children, Alison could only imagine Yocheved’s emotional turmoil and the strength it took to allow her newborn to drift along the river on a bed of reeds. “The Mothers of Moses” was written during a challenging time in Alison's life (her mother's battle with breast cancer). She says of Yocheved, "That character is very powerful for me. I needed her to be strong, so I wrote her to be strong. That's why she's so strong. But she's also human. Her practice of always going back to God for her strength is something I try to emulate." Moses' Egyptian mother, Batya was the Pharaoh's daughter; she also demonstrated remarkable strength, in her defiance of her father through outsmarting him to help the people he oppressed. 

The Mothers of Moses - front cover

Alison remarks that Hilarians, too are made of a certain mettle; determined to think independently, make decisions and follow through. Not that there was an explicit lesson taught in valor, rather, it simply is the ethos of the school. She fondly remembers in 1985, when the Queen visited Trinidad and BAHS students were expected to attend a ceremony in her honour. Lower school students set off for the event, under the supervision of their sixth form prefects. Rain began to pour while they were walking, and Alison recalls her prefects debating whether they should turn back towards the school. They considered that sitting in wet uniforms at the event would surely make the students sick, which meant missing learning opportunities at school; they considered that arriving at the event drenched was no way to present as BAHS girls, to honor the Queen. With that, they decided to return to school, and to later justify their decision to then principal, Ms. Araujo, who positively affirmed the prefects' decision. 

Following her graduation from BAHS, Alison enrolled in the University of the West Indies, where she studied Natural Sciences. She graduated with honors, spent a year studying Behavioral Psychology, Computer Sciences, and volunteering at the Institute of the Hearing Impaired. Alison earned a scholarship and completed a Masters degree in Environmental Health Policy at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical studies. She successfully completed an internship in Geneva, Switzerland at the World Health Organization, focused on strategizing the improvement of rural public health: the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, communities and individuals. 

After returning to Trinidad, Alison applied her skills and experience to working for a UN affiliate, in planning science and math curricula for the Caribbean. Continuing work in the field of public health, Alison consulted with the Pan American Health Organization to work with community leaders in rural areas of Trinidad to strategize sustainable methods for public health change; from water and sanitation to food preparation to disaster preparedness. Later, she taught English in rural Japan. Alison's passion for helping others through public health and education likens her to Moses' Hebrew mother, Yocheved, who was a midwife  and caretaker of her people. Moses' Egyptian mother Batya recognized the hardships and oppression of the Israelites and through raising Moses, gave hope to the captives. In our contemporary time of racial injustice, religious wars, and other hardships, Alison intends that readers of "The Mothers of Moses" will find the story of its strong women compelling enough to inspire the hope necessary to persevere.  

The Mothers of Moses - back cover

Alison remarks, "the best part of writing this book was the learning; my talent is with words and I discovered that. I started with a blank word document every day, and I filled it. I filled it with something that came out of me. Something that can help others." 

The Mothers of Moses is available online: in Kindle/Hardcover, and is currently on library shelves in Canada. Join The Mothers of Moses Facebook group!