Benin is a sliver of an African country next to its more well-known neighbor, Nigeria. In 2003, after college graduation, our daughter spent a few weeks there visiting her friend Angelina, a Peace Corps volunteer.
When Angelina arrived in Benin, she was immediately drawn to a young neighbor girl with albinism. Albinos have little or no melanin in their skin, a rare, inherited genetic disorder caused by mutations in genes that affect melanin production, resulting in a lack of or significantly reduced color in the skin, hair, and eyes. In many third-world countries, albinos are ostracized and, in rare cases, attacked and dismembered for superstitious rituals. Benin is poor but not cruel. Even in our nation, people with albinism are discriminated against because they look too white, not pale, brown, or black.
When Angelina met 8-year-old Fifa, they bonded and were referred to as “mama yovo” and “petite yovo.” Yovo means white person in the Fon language. When our Amanda visited, they were called “Three White Girls.”
Our world is often hung up on color. It should not be; humans, mammals and fish all bleed red.
Being white is contextual. In an African nation near the equator, where dark to “blue-black” is the norm, an Italian and a biracial woman are white. Yet, Amanda’s mocha brownness has her sometimes labeled as Mediterranean. After a summer in the sun, she is definitely brown.
Fifa faced numerous challenges in her society, particularly the inability to see the classroom chalkboard that was bleached out by the intense African sun. Angelina knew that the young girl was not a poor learner but hindered by extenuating circumstances, so she took Fifa to a visiting Mercy Ship, which fitted her with special glasses. Now, 17 years later, Fifa has her doctorate.
She is a great example of why we should invest in people with disabilities.
Angelina’s video on Fifa is heartwarming and an endorsement of Mercy Ships.
