A Question of Justice:
Persons affected by Leprosy in Eastern Nigeria tell their stories in their own words.
An Introduction
For centuries, Leprosy was considered a disease apart, and its sufferers often humiliated and ostracised…
The narrators in this volume present a different perspective. For most, it is the opportunity of a lifetime which they joyfully seized to tell their own stories the way no other person(s) could. Told with enthralling authenticity, these hitherto ‘wretched of the earth’ shared gripping tales of rejection by family and friends; depression and sometimes suicidal thoughts; feelings of unworthiness, hopelessness and helplessness…
We would be remiss not to state that the vast majority of the persons whose stories are outlined here still live-in poverty and deprivation. Some are blind, many have physical and mental impairments related to Leprosy. As a group, they seem to have receded into the blind spot in the rear mirror of state and National programme managers and accordingly risk being ‘left behind’…
It is our hope that this collection will serve as a cautionary tale to all but especially to the youth in Nigeria and elsewhere that society is poorly served when a person is defined by his/her disease. Never again should a person diagnosed with Leprosy be referred to as a ‚’LEPER’…