Dwarfs: Rejected by society, accepted by sports

L-R: Nwosu, Ben Bella and Ekomolu

’TANA AIYEJINA takes a look at the world of Nigeria’s dwarf sportsmen and women in this special report

Israel Akujo sat down at home one Saturday in 2007. He was pensive, thinking about life as a dwarf. He had encountered several forms of societal discrimination and was probably on the verge of giving up hope.

A trained computer engineer, Akujo was baffled at how clients refused to patronise him because of his miniature frame. He also had a shot in the movie industry but it didn’t yield any fruits either. Now he was gradually resigning himself to fate.

Suddenly, he heard a knock on the door of his one room apartment popularly referred to as face-me-I-face-you. His friend came in and gave him what he described as the “good news,” that would eventually turn his life around and give him some sort of societal acceptance.

He said, “My friend said dwarfs were needed to take part at the 2007 All Africa Games in Algiers and that I should come and see his coach. I did and the man trained me and I went for the AAG trials.”

During the trials, he was shocked by the number of dwarfs he saw. All his life, he didn’t know that such number of dwarfs existed. Though he eventually didn’t compete at the AAG, his trip to Algiers was his first abroad, something he never thought of. It is an experience Akujo will cherish all his life.

“That was the first time I met different kinds of dwarfs: the good, the bad and the ugly, in my life. I was shocked; I never knew dwarfs existed in such large numbers. We were 28 that made it but six made the final list for the AAG: three male and three female and I was among the final six. We went to Algiers but we weren’t up to the countries recommended for the dwarf events, It was only Nigeria and hosts Algeria that had dwarfs. But we had fun,” he added.

Prior to then, Akujo, now a specialist in field events: shot put, discus and javelin, said he was a laughing stock. Walking on the streets for him was nightmarish, as onlookers stared at him mockingly.

He said, “When I take a walk with my fellow dwarfs, people laughed at us. Some will even come close to us, so that they can measure our heights with their bodies. It’s xenophobic.

“We face a lot of challenges in the society; some of us are graduates, but they won’t give them jobs because of their height. But when I came into sports, I didn’t witness anything like discrimination. We are more or less like one family. We are treated equally to a very large extent. This is my eighth year in sports and I am enjoying it. If you can’t endure, you can’t enjoy sports. Since I made the team to AAG, I have been serious about sports and I am happy to have found a new life of acceptance.”

Dwarfism is a medical or genetic condition that usually results in an adult height of 4-foot-10 or shorter. Most enjoy normal intelligence, normal life spans, and reasonably good health, according to Little People of America Inc., a non-profit organisation that provides support and information to people of short stature and their families.

People with dwarfism are sometimes misjudged, and in extreme cases, ridiculed by members of the public.

Abigail Menu, who also specialises in field events, has experienced extreme ridicule from the public. Our correspondent caught up with her while training at the National Stadium, Lagos, on a Monday morning.

When asked for an interview, she replied curtly, “These tall people have come with their problems again,” and walked away, despite appeals from our correspondent.

It took the intervention and persuasion of Akujo, before she agreed to grant our correspondent an interview.

Menu, who became an athlete three years ago, cannot understand why a person’s size should be used against him or her. Due to the discriminations she has faced, she has decided to stay away the tall people.

“People don’t see us as human beings; they relegate us because of our size. I am a victim. In fact, female dwarfs are most affected. For instance, some of us get married to tall guys but their families and friends are unhappy with them for marrying us. They try to convince the men that we are not in the same class with them and this has broken some homes. We are seen as infidels but God created us the same way He created tall people.

“We can do what the so-called tall people do but most dwarfs are discriminated against. Even when educated dwarfs have the best qualifications, they are not considered for banking, telecoms, oil servicing firms and other big jobs. They feel we cannot do anything. For example, no bank will give a dwarf a marketing job because they feel we cannot do the job but we can. That is why some dwarfs don’t want to go to school again,” Menu stated.

Menu

Menu became an athlete in June 2014, after a friend, Deborah, convinced her that she would enjoy a new lease of life as a sportswoman. Though initially reluctant, she admits it is a right choice after all.

She added, “There is no segregation in sports because we do what the tall people do; we participate in the same events with the tall people. We are more relevant as sportsmen and women unlike in other professions.

“Before I came into sports, I always cried when people abused me because of my size but I have changed. I now make myself happy because even though I’m a dwarf but I have family members who are tall. That is a source of joy to me.

“Some of these people, who call themselves tall people, have not achieved what some dwarfs have. I used to feel sad, that I couldn’t make it in life but when I met other dwarfs in sports, I had a different mentality. I knew I could become someone in life with the right determination. For example I am married to a tall person and I have a normal baby boy. We have been together and he has accommodated me to the best of his ability.”

Since the influx of dwarfs into sports in the last 10 years, they have gradually become an important factor in the country’s sports.

Nigeria resorted to dwarf athletes to brighten their chances of winning the 2007 AAG.

The country had to embark on rigorous scouting of dwarf athletes after it was discovered that hosts Algeria had featured dwarf sports as a scoring event, rather than as a demonstration event. Eventually the dwarfs couldn’t compete because of the small number of countries that registered for the event.

Nollywood actress Lauritta Onye is one of the most successful dwarf athletes produced by the country. The fair-skinned lady attended the 2007 and 2011 AAG, winning silver in the shot put event of the latter.

At the IPC Athletics Grand Prix in Tunisia, in March, the lively Onye won a gold (discus) and silver in shot put. The multi-talented athlete also boasts a bronze medal in powerlifting, from the 2012 National Sports Festival in Lagos.

Interestingly, she had carved a niche for herself in Nollywood, featuring in prominent roles in films like Lords of Money, before becoming an athlete in 2007.

In Nollywood, she is popularly known as Laury White, but sports have also given her global popularity. While fully involved in acting, she complained of societal disregard for dwarfs.

The Imo State-born athlete said, “One of the challenges I face is that people don’t respect me because of my stature. They feel they are older than me. They discriminate and also insult people with disabilities. My advice is that people should stop discriminating; we are all equal in the sight of God and people should not use disability as an excuse because there is ability in disability.”

She admits that she has been forced to give more attention to sports than acting.

“I actually came to Lagos because of acting. Somehow I was introduced to sports; my progress was rapid and I decided to concentrate on it. I am still an actress; sports is for a time. When I am 50 years, I can still act. Right now, I give 80 per cent of my time to sports and 20 per cent to acting but from next year, after the Olympics, I will give acting 60 per cent and sports 40 per cent.”

When she first won her international medal, a silver medal at the 2011 AAG in Maputo, it was a triumph of determination over societal segregation.

“I was a petty trader to make ends meet. I once applied in a restaurant to wash plates but the owner said, ‘This one can’t do anything.’ In other countries, they have dwarf associations and the government supports them. But here, I can’t seek for employment in an office because they will overlook me because of my size,” Onye added.

“So, when I got the opportunity to become an athlete, I grabbed it with both hands. At the AAG in Algiers, in 2007, dwarfs couldn’t compete because the countries didn’t meet the required number. It was disappointing because it showed how African nations don’t have regard for dwarfs and people with disabilities.

“If it’s normal sports, all the countries will struggle to take part. I know I’m a champion and I was determined to win in Maputo. I won silver and it changed my life. It’s a day I will never forget. Being a champion is not by height, size or beauty; it is by strength, smartness, determination, confidence and endurance. Without these five qualities, you can’t win. How many tall people have them? But a small woman like me has all these attributes,” she said.

Born in Maiduguri, Emeka Nwosu almost lost his life to Boko Haram insurgents in 2011, after he failed to heed the advice of his father, a retired policeman. The insurgents had persistently terrorised Borno and Yobe states during the period, forcing Nwosu’s parents and several other people to flee the region.

But Nwosu refused to move to the eastern part of the country with his parents because of his thriving carpet business in Maiduguri. However, after a close shave with death in the hands of the insurgents in Damaturu, he fled to Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

“It was on November 4, 2011. They entered Damaturu around 3.30pm and were in the town till 5am. They killed hundreds of people. I slept in the bush that night. All we were seeing was the light from the guns and dynamite. I fled to Uyo.”

Nwosu took to sports and in no short time; he became an Akwa Ibom athlete. He insists that even before he became a sportsman, he had always been proud of himself.

He said, “My mother is the most beautiful woman I’ve seen. If you see my father, you will wonder where he produced me from. I am the only odd one amongst their kids. But I will never ask God why am I like this. If we had the chances to create ourselves, I would have been taller than every other person.

“God has destined me to be a rich man and my height won’t stop me. My business is moving but other dwarfs need help. I thank God for making me like this and I’m proud of whom I am.”

Kehinde

Rukayat Kehinde is however an exception. She says she has not been a victim of societal segregation. But the 25-year-old Ekiti State University undergraduate admits that she has found it difficult combining sports and education. She is hopeful that sports would open doors for her after she graduates from the university.

“It’s not easy for normal people to combine sports and education, so you know how tough it is with a small person like me. I just finished my exams, and it affected me because I didn’t have time to train for the AAG trials,” she said.

“Educated dwarfs find it difficult getting jobs but I think I have an edge because of sports. I’m still very young, so if I concentrate fully, I can make it through sports.”

Delta State athlete, Maxwell Ekenolu, insisted that there will always be disparity despite the acceptance they have received in the sports sector.

He said, “The outside world understands you the way you are from the outside, while in sports,we are seen as athletes and not as dwarfs. If you do well in international competitions, you earn praises but the society will always put your size into consideration.

“You can hardly get assistance from the rich people. Sometimes they call us spirits and that demoralises us because it makes us feel we are not part of the society. We came into sports and found lots of people with disabilities. We are one big family and we are accepted.”

Dr. Bukola Bojuwoye, a sports medicine practitioner, said dwarfs are actually capable of doing same things as taller people.

He said, “Their (dwarfs) condition is known as Achondroplasia, a common cause of dwarfism. Dwarfs have same abilities with normal athletes but because of their size, their biometrics may not be the same.

“That is why they are classified differently from the other athletes. For instance, you cannot put a very tall person and a dwarf in the same event because obviously, the taller athlete will be at an advantage.

“In sports, they are classified into two: short people and dwarfs because amongst themselves, they have different heights.”

Ibrahim Showunmi said the zeal to break new grounds spurred him on to become a dwarf sports coach. He said with proper funding, dwarfs would give Nigeria an edge during international competitions.

He said, “I believed that if I work with special sports athletes, they will be successful because I will apply the same theory I used for the normal athletes. I just love coaching dwarfs and special athletes.

“We call them special people because they are dwarfs and they have some form of disabilities. You have to treat them specially. Naturally, they need help and we understand that. I know what it takes because I have been with them for several years.

“We need more support, people should come out and help them. If they get the desired help, they will win more medals in international competitions than normal athletes.”

For the dwarf athletes, their marriage with sports seems to know no end. It is a honeymoon they hope will continue forever. And they have some assuring words for their colleagues, who are still facing different forms of abuse out there.

“They shouldn’t feel sad because of what people say or feel about them. It’s God’s will and not man’s. If man has rejected them, God hasn’t. God’s purpose is about to manifest in their lives,” Menu said.

Ekenolu added, “Sports can help them because it has helped me a lot, it’s not a bed of roses though. If the society cannot help, sports can. Sports can put them in the places they want to be.”