Meet the Ethiopian Boy Whose Rare Startling Blue Eyes Make Him Absolutely Unique The Epoch Times09:31 Sat, 25 May

(YouTube Screenshot | Luis Jose)

(YouTube Screenshot | Luis Jose)

Meet the Ethiopian Boy Whose Rare Startling Blue Eyes Make Him Absolutely Unique

By Daksha Devnani and Simone Jonker May 25, 2019 Updated: May 25, 2019

This is the story of a young boy in Ethiopia. The color of his eyes truly stands out as it is extremely rare to find a blue-eyed boy in Ethiopia.

Abushe is from Jinka, southern Ethiopia. With his dark skin that accentuates his blue eyes, his look has captured the imagination of the world. The young boy was born with a condition known as Waardenburg syndrome, which is a melanin gene mutation affecting the pigment in the development of eye color. According to the United States National Library of Medicine, this condition is very rare and affects an estimated 1 in 40,000 people.

As such, Abushe was born with the most startling blue eyes.

Abushe is 8, he lives in south Ethiopia, i met him in front of a bank. His blue eyes were just incredible. I came back the day after to try to know more about this kid. His mother works in a farm , 30 km from there, his father is dead. He used to live in his grand mother house, but last week, a fire erupted in the poor wooden house, so he lost all his school books and his blanquet. As the grand mother house is too far from the school, he lives in a very small room in a metal house without window, full of dirt, and sleeps there on with a friend. At 8 years old. As his books have burnt, he cannot go to school anymore. His blue eyes allowed him to meet foreigners who took care of him on this day, but so many kids with black eyes are also living this incredible life…
www.ericlafforgue.com

When Abushe’s parents saw his eyes, they were shocked; they feared he was blind. Being desperately poor, they could not have him diagnosed and treated. Abushe’s parents then came to an understanding that his rare condition was a “gift from God.”

When French photographer Eric Lafforgue met Abushe in early 2016, the boy lived with his grandparents in a small hut made out of hatch and wood. He was able to attend school, and the food was provided by generous patrons of the restaurant opposite the slum. Unfortunately, a fire broke out. He and his grandmother escaped without any major injuries except for a burn on Abushe’s forehead.

The fire destroyed the few possessions the family had, but luckily, Abushe was able to save something extremely precious. A red soccer ball is Abushe’s whole world. His dream is to play soccer one day with famous soccer stars.

The young boy’s favorite team is Barcelona. He is an avid fan and watches games whenever he can. He admires the forward Lionel Messi. Abushe told Lafforgue, “Messi is just like me. He is not like the others!”

I Met Ethiopian Boy With The Plastic Eyes

By​ Eric Lafforgue

Eric Lafforgue
Community member

Abushe lives in Jinka, southern Ethiopia. He is 8 years old. No one would pay any attention to Abushe, but if you

catch a glimpse of his eyes, their incredible magnetic colour will stop you in your tracks.

One would ascribe it to the effects of great miscegenation, but Abushe actually suffers from the Waardenburg syndrome

One of the characteristics of this syndrome is an abnormal spacing between the eyes – which is moderately the case for Abushe – but mainly a special pigmentation of the irises

This phenomenon is rare and is thought to occur every 300,000 births on all continents. Its effects are obviously striking on a child with black skin like the little Ethiopian.

Abushe was living and sleeping in his grandma tukul, the traditional hut made of wood, adobe and thatch, when one night, a fire broke out

In the middle of the tukuls, there is always a fireplace which is used to cook, to repel insects and to provide heat at night

Abushe and his grandmother were able to survive without any major injuries, except for a burn on the child’s forehead

all the school books and mattresses burned in the fire – a fortune gone up in smoke.

Abushe’ s most valuable possession remains his red ball, a treasure that he never leaves out of sight, as it is an object of eternal envy for the teenagers around

He never misses a Barcelona game in the bars broadcasting football games and loves Messi: “He is just like me, he is not like the others!”

His parents were surprised to discover his blue eyes. Everyone was afraid that he would be blind

As they were very poor, they could not afford a doctor. They had to wait long months to understand that the child was seeing correctly. They concluded that it was a gift from God and not a curse that had fallen on the family.

Others kids often harass him because of his eyes. They call him “plastic eyes.” He cannot stand the incessant remarks

At the grand age of 8, Abushe decided to live in town to be near his school

He could not afford to pay the daily bus ticket from his grandmother’s village. He shows me a filthy cardboard on the floor, his new bed. “It’s dirty here,” he whispers, ashamed. For food, he relies on the charity of the patrons of the restaurant opposite his slum.

Often, people insult him and call him a “monster.” Teenagers beat him up

Abushe’s life is not easy—he often gets teased and taunted by his peers; they cruelly call him names like “plastic eyes” and “monster.” Sometimes they even hit and punch him.

Abushe does not let that get him down and shows great promise and talent in becoming a soccer player of note. To play for Barcelona is what he wants. He has a passion for the game. He aspires to provide for his family one day.

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In October 2016, Mike, a Cape Town-based travel and adventure blogger and photographer, was on a 13-day expedition with Kingsley Holgate and his team of adventurers when he came across Abushe, who jumped on the foot railings of their vehicle and charmed them with a beaming smile and his deep blue eyes.

Describing the moment, Mike wrote on his blog: “He had blue eyes like I’ve never seen before in my life! They were like two tiny planets, with the friendliest face to go with them.”

Mike Eloff @LifeOfMikeZA

Happy #WorldPhotoDay! Here’s one of my favorite portraits I’ve taken this year to celebrate! “Abushe from Ethiopia” 33 9:29 AM – Aug 19, 2016 · Cape Town, South Africa See Mike Eloff’s other Tweets Twitter Ads info and privacy

Mike also had a chat with him and snapped a few photos of the boy. Prior to leaving, Mike asked the translators to remind the boy: “Tell Abushe that no matter what anyone says about his eyes, or about him being abnormal, he should always remember that he is really special and his eyes are a gift.”