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During August 2003, the choir of the Milton Margai School
for the Blind in Freetown, Sierra Leone, toured the UK. The
children, aged 8 to 20, had just come through 10 years of civil
war: some had been deliberately blinded by rebel soldiers. For
most, it was the first time they had left their country. Many
experiences were new to them: swimming pools, horses, underground
travel, the cold… and as I spent time with these children,
familiar objects became new to me too. Public toilets were a
source of wonder and Osman, 9, reminded me one day with his
head craned beneath a hand drier, grinning: 'This place, this
public toilet, is wonderful and magical!' |
