Four Years Without Sophia

FEATURE
Four years without Sophia

On Monday August 31, 2015, Sophia Koetsier arrives at Entebbe airport in Uganda. She is 21 years old,
bright and ambitious, with a great zest for life, about to embark on a new adventure in a faraway country, on a
continent she has never been to. That summer she had acquired her bachelor of Medicine at the University of
Amsterdam, effortlessly passing her exams, with high grades, while working a part-time job throughout her study.
S
he had recently decided to continue arrived around 6 pm. Shortly after that spread out over some 45 meters. It included
ȱȱȱȱĴȱ Sophia disappeared. ȱȱȱȱĴȱȱȱȱȱ
her master of Medicine. Her long What happened between arrival and dis-‐‑ up in a tree, one shoe and pieces of torn fab-‐‑
term plan was to become a surgeon appearance is not clear. A short search was ric, some of them tied to dead wood. Those
ȱȱ¢ǯȱȱęȱȱ ȱȱ conducted until it got too dark. pieces make up one leg of a pair of trousers
to work eight weeks as a medical intern in The circumstances surrounding Sophia’s Sophia owns, but it is not clear what she was
Lubaga hospital in Kampala. Sophia took disappearance are obscure and many things wearing when she disappeared. No other
well to life in Uganda and its people. As was do not add up. garments were found, nor the second shoe.
clear from the extensive and enthusiastic Shortly before Sophia went missing her The items were close to the one that was
weekly reports she sent us, her parents and phone had broken down. It was later found found the previous morning. According
her two brothers. in her luggage with her passport, bank pass to local police they weren’t found simulta-‐‑
After the internship she wanted to see and other personal items. neously because, due to excessive rain, the
some more of Uganda, before returning Sophia’s disappearance was in the media items had been under water. Photographs
home to the Netherlands on the 10th of for just a few days. From the start it was do not support this explanation. Forensically
November. Three days later we would assumed that it must have been a ‘fatal acci-‐‑ trained people who saw the photographs of
Ĵȱȱȱ¢ȱ ȱȱ dent’; the girl had mental problems, she was these items are adament they have not been
ȱȱȱȱĜȱȂȱȱ Ĵȱ¢ȱȱǰȱȱ¢ȱȱǰȱ under water. They also call it ‘manipulated
ęȱȱȱ¢ȱȱ-‐‑ killed herself, drowned, end of story. It was, pieces of evidence’. A question that inevi-‐‑
dam. perhaps conveniently, ignored that no blood tably comes up is if the items were actually
We did not pick her up at the airport that traces were found, no signs of a struggle, there on Thursday.
¢ȱȱ ȱȱȱĴȱȱ¢ǯ ȱȱȱ ȱȱǯȱȱȱ On Saturday morning October 31, again a
To this day Sophia has not returned home. said they watched for increased activity by day later, dogs arrived. It is not clear which
On Wednesday October 28, Sophia vultures in the days after Sophia went miss-‐‑ trace or scent the dogs were following.
arrived at Murchison National Park togeth-‐‑ ing. They didn’t see any. They did not have Sophia’s scent and their
er with two fellow students and their tour The morning after Sophia’s disappearance handlers did not ask for it. And there were
guide, also driver; they had met in Kampala. one item, allegedly hers, was found some plenty of scents as many people had been
He had arranged for the three girls to stay ęȱȱȱȱȱǯȱȱ walking in the area by then. A fact the Scene
at the Student Centre, a very low budget else. The next morning, Friday, a trail of puz-‐‑ ȱȱĜǰȱ ȱȱȱȱ
accommodation in the park, where they zling items was found along the river bank, morning, were apparently unaware of as
26 Nov . 01 -‐ 07 2019
FEATURE
¢ȱȱěȱȱǯȱ And there she was indeed, a Sophia’s eagerness to learn has passed, without Sophia. As
It is not known who was pres-‐‑ personality from the start and things and to be useful, how every week, every day means
ent at the Student Centre that keeping those eyes, and ears, quickly she picked things up. ‘A one more day, one more week,
evening. wide open whilst going through born doctor’ according to Chris-‐‑ without Sophia. And we do not
It is not known who entered life. She is very perceptive and tine. In Sophia’s own words: know if the passing of the days,
or left the park that evening or observant, with an open mind. ‘The next day was an interest-‐‑ weeks and months, will bring
the day after. Quoting some excerpts from her ing day on the maternity ward. us closer to her, or further away
No one seems to have been weekly reports from Kampala is I spent all day on labour ward from her.
seriously heard. the only way at this moment to and was really useful. Christine The 28th of October marks
Clearly the investigation left hear her voice. taught me how to catch a baby four years without Sophia, four
quite something to be desired, as ȱȱȱěȱȱȱ after delivery. This was harder years of painful, devastating
has been observed and acknowl-‐‑ Luganda right after arrival: than I thought, but Christine insecurity, four years of won-‐‑
edged since then by both Ugan-‐‑ ‘I have learned some more guided me. After that I took the dering what happened to our
dan and Dutch professionals. Luganda now. If you say baby away for post natal care. I beloved girl; is she still alive,
Words like ‘tunnel vision’ were ‘oliotya?’, which means: ‘hello, could do this several times. It’s where could she be, under
used, and ‘blaming the victim’. how are you?’, to the local peo-‐‑ so nice to do this for those tiny which circumstances?
We can only speculate about ple, they really like that. Things creatures and it is really great to No child is more present than
the reason why a ‘fatal acci-‐‑ like ‘webale’ (thank you), ‘nde be useful.’ a missing child. Perhaps only
dent’ scenario was so eagerly ȂȱǻȂȱęǼȱȱȱȁȱ parents in a similar situation can
embraced from the start, despite truly understand what it is like,
the lack of any evidence to back not knowing what happened,
it up. Thereby excluding all oth-‐‑ wondering whether your child
er possiblities, including crime. is alive and worrying about
Perhaps it was the easiest option their fate, each and every day.
to get rid of an incomprehensi-‐‑ I know there are many of you
ble story and many people do ȱǰȱěȱȱȱ
not like stories without an end. same ordeal, especially in the
It seems that Sophia was north.
ȱ ȱȱȱǯȱ¢ȱ-‐‑ From the moment they are
sionally she develops sleeping born, our children are, and will
problems which can cause her always remain, our Achilles
to become restless. She had also heel and we shall never give up
been taking malaria pills from on them.
the day she arrived in Uganda. It has pained us immensely
These pills can have unwanted to see the case so easily dis-‐‑
ȱěǯȱ ǯȱȱȱȱęȱ
However, Sophia is far from ever since to get people, and
crazy and has never shown any especially authorities, out of
sign to anybody at any time of that ‘fatal accident’ tunnel. It
being tired of life. On the con-‐‑ seems we are starting to reap
trary, her love of life is immense bulungi’ (good night) are really
On October 22 she writes: some of what we have sowed
and her ambition has no bounds. ȱȱ ǯȂȱĴȱ ‘Before we left I really wanted but everything is going too slow,
If you don’t know anything, a party she comments on Ugan-‐‑ to say a warm goodbye to every-‐‑ of course, as for us every day
nothing can be ruled out but we dan women’s dancing prowess: one in the hospital. still counts. We cannot and will
ęȱȱȱȱȱȱ ‘The girls here are truly excep-‐‑ We gave away our medical not rule out she might be some-‐‑
laid out those items herself. Like tional dancers. They could really splash goggles and midwives where. But where? And how?
ȱęȱȱ¢ȱȱȱȱ teach us Dutch people a thing and surgeons were really hap-‐‑ We can use all the help we
she went into the river. In one or two... Jojo taught me her py with them. Our white coats can get to solve the mystery of
of her weekly reports Sophia, a killer moves and I tried them out we gave to Christine, who was Sophia’s disappearance.
good swimmer, writes about an immediately. The reaction was: really eager to have them. We Four years without Sophia is
outing to Ggaba Beach at Lake ‘Huh, Sophia is dancing like an also exchanged email addresses unreal, incomprehensible and
Ǳ African girl?!’ with her. After saying goodbye unbearable.
‘The only thing lacking was to everyone in maternity we It is hope that keeps me
ȱȱȱȱěȱȱǯȱȱ And how she is enjoying her stopped by the other wards. together, that makes me come
though the locals went swim-‐‑ stay: I sincerely regret my stay here back to Uganda, time after time,
ming in the lake we decided is over. All the people in the hos-‐‑ ¢ȱȱȱęȱȱ
against that, because of the ‘I am starting to get used to pital are so sweet. I will really and take her home.
ȱȱĴȱȱȱ Uganda more and more. The miss them and hope to be back When nothing is certain,
infection.’ way of life, the habits. I am one day. Who knows, as a doc-‐‑ everything is possible and mira-‐‑
Sophia was born on Decem-‐‑ almost considering simply stay-‐‑ tor of tropical medicine?’ cles do happen.
ȱŝǰȱŗşşřǰȱȱęȱȱȱ ing in Africa, cause jeez, it’s so The next day Sophia starts
only daughter. Her name means relaxed here!’ her roundtrip. Six days later, Marije Slijkerman
‘wisdom’ in Greek. Most of her stories were Wednesday October 28, 2015, ǯęǯ
Barely fully born, she looked about her work in Lubaga hos-‐‑ she disappears.
us straight in the eyes, with her pital. Christine was one of the Every 28th day of each month
big, dark eyes, wide open, as if midwives who often worked ȱȱĜȱ¢ȱȱǯȱȱȱ
saying: ‘Well then, here I am’. with Sophia. She told me about reminder that another month
Nov . 01 -‐ 07 2019 27

Four Years Without Sophia

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