Follow Mariama Kandeh ( 3 Followers )

I came to learn about the term autism when I migrated to the U.K. I had absolutely no knowledge about the condition, or that it even existed. I came to get a full grasp of what the condition really is after my nephew was diagnosed at the tender age of three. Through observation of my nephew I realized the features he showed are not limited to him alone, or only to autistic children in the U.K. Indeed, I have seen children who have shown similar characteristics back home in Sierra Leone. Sadly, nobody knew what was wrong with them. They were not in any formal education, and care for them was limited to parental and home levels.

I remember a few people in the Police barracks where I grew up who were suffering from autism, adults as well as children. However, my mind still joggles whenever I think of a particular boy whom we all taunted due to ignorance. He was the only child to a couple in my neighbourhood. Now that I know what autism really is, I can say he was autistic. Perhaps he was in fact at the far end of the spectrum.

Aboy was victimized, showed unusual physical, mental, social, and behavioural features which may have included acting up with intense tantrums, showing aggression to others or himself, stubborn, preferring solitary or ritualistic play, and not being startled at loud noises. He loved music and often boys around would call him to dance for them, and just as he finished they would beat him up and send him away like a piece of trash. He could not speak at all. If he were born in the West, he could have been taught sign language. He was always walking along the streets and corners. His father was mostly away on assignments. His mother did not understand his condition and was unable to deal with it. As a result, Aboy was mostly at the mercy of older boys who beat him up as and when they liked.

In Sierra Leone, people who show signs of autism are referred to as “fool fool,” “stupidoe,” and “haflahun” – all meaning someone with benign mental issues. Women who show these signs are also very vulnerable. They are the ones that “normal” men take advantage of. Due to their inability to perfectly understand their environment and to speak properly or to socialise with others, they become prey for men who indulge in having sexual intercourse with them as and when the men please. Most of these women become laughing stock for the public and an instrument for taunting and mockery. They don’t understand facial expressions, jokes, or sarcasm, and most times people get frustrated with these disabilities. And sometimes they are hit by the so-called normal people who do not understand the autistic people. Young autistic boys are particularly at risk of violence reaction from the public.

According to the U.S.-based autism science and advocacy organization Autism Speaks, the condition is a “complex developmental disability that typically appears during the first three years of life and affects a person’s ability to communicate and interact with others.” However, in many African countries like Sierra Leone, children and adults who show signs of autism are considered to be possessed. In many churches, fellowships and revival meetings are organized to cast out the demons of witchcraft in autistic people. Muslims make a lot of sacrifices including the killing of animals; communal prayers are held while verses of the Quran are read to remove the “evil” thought to be in children who present with signs of autism. For the Animists, a lot of money is spent on fortune tellers, medicine men, or herbalists who will use herbs to prescribe medicines that are believed to cast the devil away.

While witch hunting may have ended in the West, it is still a popular practice in Africa. Many Africans still resort to it for lack of scientific analysis and understanding of issues. Thus, anomalies in people who show signs of autism have perpetuated the belief in superstitions. With no legal ramifications and child protection policies to protect vulnerable children like Aboy and other adults I grew up knowing.

In some cases, even children who exhibit signs of physical ailments like allergies, asthma, epilepsy, digestive disorders, persistent viral infections, feeding disorders, sensory integration dysfunction, sleeping disorders, et al., tend to find themselves doubly penalized by a society they helplessly depend on for their survival.

Yet these features, medically considered as symptoms of autism, are traditionally seen as uncommon in many rural communities across Africa. Illiteracy plays a major role in the stigmatization of autistic people in Africa. Generally, witchcraft is given as an explanation for extra ordinary issues. Illiterate parents, guardians, and sometimes neighbours readily accept this without any doubt. Such beliefs will go on to shape the future of autistic and underprivileged Africans who get caught in the mud.

However, such beliefs are not limited to Africa alone. African communities in the diaspora carry similar beliefs. And a lot of African parents with autistic children live in isolation because of the prejudice and ostracism they face in their communities. For some, they live in denial, refusing to accept that their children are autistic. However, belief systems that preach that accepting “negative” conditions will tend to actualize the “negative” have left many Africans in denial who believe by refusing to accept the condition it will eventually disappear.

Back in Africa, the belief in witchcraft is predominant amongst the underprivileged rural class, and it holds that witches bring destruction, waste, hardship, disease, and death to their families. Other symptoms involve crying and screaming in the night, and hallucinations that arise from a very high fever and worsening health conditions – symptoms that can be found among people in impoverished regions with poor health care systems.

Sometimes autistic children in Africa receive violent treatment from parents, guardians, and their communities. With the weak law enforcement agencies, some of them die untimely and unreasonably without anyone taking responsibility for their deaths.

Such was the case with Aboy. On several occasions, vehicles missed hitting him on the streets. One dull afternoon, the community received the sad news: Aboy was drowned at the King Jimmy Market side of the River Rokel in Freetown. That was miles away from his home. Nobody knew how he got there. Some people concluded because he was a “devil” he had gone back to where he came from, stemming from the belief that devils live in the rivers and the seas. Aboy drowned two days before his body was found.

Now that I have learnt what autism is, I feel sad for the many children and adults I grew up knowing, like Nana, Alimatu, and lots of others whom we referred to as “fool fool.” Whom we mocked, taunted, and disregarded, because as a child then I had no idea what their conditions were. It saddens me more to realise that as I write this, others are still being taunted, mocked, abused, and dying as a result of the lack of education in the communities.

In the absence of education, misconceptions reign supreme. There is a need for education of Africans about the need to accept that autism is real and it does not mean the end of the world for affected people. With the support of families and communities, autistic people can grow up and become independent and make meaningful contributions to society. All they need is love, care, and understanding of our differences.

[Credit for original image to Cliff James. Image was altered by adding the Autism Awareness ribbon credited to Becky Wetherington]

Like what you read? “Heart” this story above, comment below, or consider submitting your own story!