Page 49 - Bulletin, Vol.82 No.3, December 2023
P. 49
THE DESTINY OF SYLVESTRE COUTINO:
“I WAS JUST PASSING BY – AND I HAVE STAYED
HERE FOREVER”
Story and interview by Evelina RIOUKHINA
Silvestre Coutinho was my colleague in 1. Tell us about yourself.
the Statistical Division. When I arrived at I was born in Beira, Mozambique, where
the Palais, he was one of the first I spent the first 12 years of my life. I
colleagues I met. He helped me with was sent afterwards to Zimbabwe (my
computers, and I knew I could always mother’s country), to do my secondary
turn to him whenever I had difficulties.
And I felt he had a thorough knowledge schooling in a boarding school run by
Marist Brothers from Quebec, Canada. I
of mathematics and mathematical obtained a bursary to go to University for
analysis. Statistics wasn't my field (but 5 years and read Mathematics and
mathematics was at one point), so I Economics. In 1972 I was granted 6
could see how different he was. But I months sabbatical leave and went
was embarrassed to ask too many around the world and did a comparative
questions at the time. I knew that he had
created the statistical database for the study in the teaching of Applied
ECE countries, which was extremely Mathematics in India, Thailand, Japan,
Canada, the US, and in 6 European
difficult to do, and I knew that he was countries, before returning to Zimbabwe
the only one who could provide correct to continue teaching Applied
figures, and whenever we needed them, Mathematics. While on sabbatical leave
he could always provide them. From my I also visited the UN in Bangkok, New
former boss, a world-renowned York and Geneva.
statistician (Wolf Scott), I knew that he
only turned to Sylvestre for rare and 2. How did you come to work for the
reliable data, and that is how Sylvestre United Nations - was it your dream, or
helped us run the first projects for the was it simply a job opportunity, an
newly independent States in the 1990s. opportunity not to be missed?
Where data was often lacking, Sylvestre In February 1974, I was called by the
could provide it. And I always wondered Rhodesian government to do 35 days of
how he managed to do it when no one military service scheduled for
else could. Then our paths diverged and
soon he retired. I met him occasionally September. I refused and resigned from
when he came to the Palais, but now my teaching post. Soon after I left the
country, after the 25th of April 1974
that we are both retirees, we met again carnation revolution in Lisbon, and flew
at the same Carrefour International at to Geneva where I met other opponents
the Cité Seniors, and I rediscovered this to the Salazar colonial regime
person. And I would like to share with
you his so impressive story. My intention was to apply for a
Canadian work permit to carry on
AAFI-AFICS BULLETIN, Vol. 82 No.3, 2023-12 47
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