By Derick Matsengarwodzi A faded blink – and a frail cry! A minute jerk of the head is all that denotes life in his body. ...
- Advertisement -
By
Derick Matsengarwodzi
A faded blink – and a
frail cry! A minute jerk of the head is all that denotes life in his body.
Furthermore, at
seven, Bernard cannot sit. And he uses nappies, daily. House flies tour the
room with infinite frequency sensing a ready feast.
This is home to 49-year-old
Petronella Mutasa – a solitary room in the poverty-inflicted suburban area of Epworth
within Harare. Revulsion is all what she knows. And she shares all what she has
with her six daughters and nine grandchildren – a single, small randomly
erected dwelling – a lonely confinement exuding with apparent despair.
Confusion and unsolved
recurrent disability births within the family are uniform. Out of 10 births in
the family, seven of them are physically challenged. According to the
grandmother, Bernard spends most of his time sleeping. She has traversed the
country in search of eloping answers – as she poured her heart to a publication
recently.
“Bernard is the worst
affected of the seven disabled children, all belonging to the same sisters,”
echoed a grandmother’s pain.
Regrettably, only
sons are disabled leading the community to speculate that the family is cursed
beyond the blessing of a health, normal newborn. They concur that the folks are
burdened with a dark spell. Spiritual leaders have weighed in with a suggestion
that the scenario is a generation curse. Her children have become a rejection
lot and are termed cursed among the community.
“It pains me so much
that I actually have grandchildren but I cants task them to do anything for me.
I am always helping their mothers to look after them.” The eldest is 11. He
cannot do anything for himself. He requires total attention.
However, the family has
no bread winner – while all her daughters are single since prospective suitors abandoned
the disabled children. Also, none of the daughters own any alternative properties
of their own. None of the children attend special school or have anything to
aid their demanding lives.
Since most of the mothers are confined to nurse the
disabled, a little if any is brought in for their every day sustenance. To seek
possible remedy, the family has sought spiritual guidance from local
traditional healers. Many have concluded and sealed their desperate fate,
saying their case is eternal.
“African culture is
sometimes not apologetic to such unfortunate occurrences. Usually, the blame is
laid on the woman for inviting misfortune into the family – hence most of these
women are not even married. Their chances of inviting a suitor remain slim to
none at all. In other instances, fathers of the disabled children abandon them
to start a new family, hoping to father ‘normal children’. Physically
challenged people are sometimes confined into houses and have no access with
the outside world,” noted one cultural icon questioned by Tinzwei.
Albino offspring also
endure a similar dilemma. Uganda in particular has chronicled heart-rending
tales of children born with albinism for being targets of ritual murders that are
believed to enhance riches.
Petronella’s only
hope lies with well-wishers – and hope for ‘normal births’ in the family. Her
last born is too scared to start her own family due to the scars she has seen
on her sisters’ faces. For now, life proceeds in the slapdash town of Epworth –
and for the family, everything is a daily struggle. – Tinzwei/Sunday Mail
- Advertisement -
- Advertisement -
Tinzwei Is A Worth Voyage For Those In Pursuit For Up-To-Date World Events.
Read More At The Online Coronavirus Portal Or Use The 24-Hour Public Hotline:
South Africa: 0800 029 999 or just Send Hie to 0600 123 456 on WhatsApp
No comments