Refugee From War-Torn African Country

[Canary42]

I recently read a book about a refugee from war-torn Sierra Leone towards the end of last century which is an amazing tale, but shows how things can work out better for these folk if they are given refuge instead of being turned away or drowned.

The book is "Hope in a Ballet Shoe" and tells of the escape from Sierra Leone of Michaela DePrince after her parents died, who then became a US ballet star. Of course that was well before the current racist president took over.

I can recommend it as a good read.

https://www.abebooks.co.uk/servlet/SearchResults?sts=t&cm_sp=SearchF-_-home-_-Results&an=&tn=hope+in+a+ballet+shoe&kn=&isbn=

Wiki says: [i] Born as Mabinty Bangura into a Muslim family, she grew up as an orphan in Sierra Leone after her uncle brought her to an orphanage during the civil war. Her adoptive parents were told that her father was shot and killed by the Revolutionary United Front when she was three years old, and that her mother starved to death soon after. Frequently malnourished, mistreated, and derided as a "devil's child" because of vitiligo, a skin condition causing depigmentation, she fled to a refugee camp after her orphanage was bombed.

In 1999, at the age of four, she and another girl, also named Mabinty (later given the name Mia), were adopted by Elaine and Charles DePrince, a Jewish couple from Cherry Hill, New Jersey, and taken to the United States. [i]

See her in action here :-
.

[Old_Geezer]

Pity so many don't stop in France (or the first safe country they reached) instead of risking getting turned away or drowned then.

Anyway, not all are able to be ballet stars.

[wolf63]

I don't mind people fleeing from horrible circumstances coming and living here.

There was a film about a shipload of Jews looking for a new country during WWII ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MS_St._Louis ) that disturbed me as a youngster.

We, as a species, are capable of great good and horrific evil. Apathy kills too.

[Baldric]

"Coming and living here"
We are not the first safe country they come to, they have no right to be here, end of.

[Mamyalynne]

Michaela is indeed most fortunate to have been rescued after such an awful start in life, well done to her adopted parents for saving lives.

[Canary42]

Thank you Wolf and Mamya, 2 roses among the thorns :-)

[Electrochem]

What a heartwarming story!