Activist Christophe Oulé had a glittering career in engineering in Burkina Faso when he lost his sight. Now he campaigns tirelessly to improve the lives of other blind people. He talks to Lucy Lamble

Christophe Oulé had it all: a lovely family and a good education. Oulé was an engineer, and after years of working for other people, he was in the midst of fulfilling his lifelong dream of setting up his own company when disaster struck. He lost his sight. At the peak of his career everything he had built came tumbling down. He became depressed and wondered what use he could be.



But Oulé didn’t stay down. Over time, with support from his family and his doctor, he reinvented himself – and life took an unexpected turn.

Thank you to Axel Kacoutié for voicing the English version of this interview. Thanks too to Philippe Compaoré, from Light for the World, Hamadou Sanggo and Diane Somé for translation support.

Subscribe via Acast, Apple Podcasts Audioboom, Soundcloud, Mixcloud&Sticher. Join the discussion on Facebook and Twitter and email us at podcasts@theguardian.com