Meet Gora the sand painter walking tall without legs!

People who sit on their butts, waiting for luck are those playing a high stake lottery with life. Luck is the overrated phenomenon that some ill-informed people are waiting for to change their lives in whatever directions they are hoping for. Luck is the part of the life puzzle that falls into place only after one has really worked hard. Very often people look for excuses not to use their talents and brains instead of finding reasons to work hard in order to succeed. This long preamble forms the background to our inspirational meeting with Gora in Serrekunda, The Gambia

You see Gora was born in 1977 in The Gambia. Eight years later he became paralysed from waist down as a result of a bout of polio. In Africa, that is like a sentence to a lifetime of street begging and penury. There are no facilities and opportunities like those present in Europe to excel even if one has disabilities. In a country like The Gambia, being immobile because one is lame is almost certain that one would become an outcast and be forever at the margins of the society. Not Gora!

When Gora realised he was never going to be like any other person, he began to think of the talents he might have that would not condemn him to a lifetime of street begging. An incident at that early age completely changed his life. He was on the way to school and because he always had to crawl on his hands to reach the school, passers-by often mistook him for a child beggar. Then one day somebody threw him some money and instead of feeling happy, Gora felt humiliated and sad. All he wanted was to reach school. He did not want any kind of sympathy. He just wanted people to help facilitate his getting to school on time. His pride hurt, he decided he was never going to be on the street and became determined to become a man of his own and independent of others.

Once that decision was made, he discovered he had some art skills. Anywhere he found a seemingly unused wall and some chalk he would start drawing on the walls. Every once in a while, some people caught him doing that and beat him up but he persisted. What struck us about Gora was that he unlike most of the Gambians we met could not speak English. This, he explained through the translator, was because after his primary school, his mother took him to Senegal. She felt there were better facilities for a boy with skills who happens not to be able to make use of his legs. As it turned out, this was not to be the case. But Gora went on to horn his skills on the walls of Dakar. As time went on he decided he was going to specialise in sand painting.

To cut a long story short, that was a decision that changed his life. Ever since then, he sells his creations to traders in the markets around him. Once he came back from Senegal, he went on to live close to Serrekunda and sells his artwork to local traders. The bigger paintings he sells at a price of 200 Dalasi (about €4) while the smaller ones go for between 75 and 100 Dalasi (between €1.50 and €2). It is from the toils of his labour that he pays his own rent and is able to provide for the daily needs of his mother and pays her rent. He lost his father when he was young. From the income from his paintings he is able to provide for his 3 children who are living with his ex-wife whom he met in Senegal. His wife left him as a result of the pressure from outside. People were constantly asking why a beautiful woman like her would want to marry a man like him, he told us with a bit of pain in his eyes. But life goes on and as long as he lives, he is determined to walk tall.

Of course, Africa Web TV would not have met Gora were it not that we were at Serrakunda and found a sand painting that caught our eyes and started asking questions about it. It was the market trader, Sering Modou Secka, who told us about Gora. The story was so gripping we decided to find him and do a story on him. That is not going to happen to someone sitting on his butt feeling sorry for himself and waiting for luck to fall from heaven. It was Gora’s work that that preceded his reputation. It was what we saw that provided the catalyst for meeting him.

While Gora was telling his story to the Africa Web TV camera, he was simultaneously making another painting. It was very fascinating to see how a drawing on a white board started to come to life. Before our eyes, it transformed into a masterpiece. He told us his life story and told us about his ambitions. Gora has huge ambitions. First he told us he recently finished a documentary film in Senegal which is now in post-production. That was a huge surprise to us. He is also an aspiring film maker! His ambition is to build a drama school in his compound. Here he wants to teach people with disabilities how to become actors and singers. You see, Gora is also a singer who is eager to pass on his own skill to empower others in his situation. According to Gora, disability is a state of the mind, if you put your mind to it you will walk as tall as you want!

Watch our full video report on him soon!

Postscript

Africa Web TV was so inspired by his story that we decide we were going to help him fulfil this ambition of empowering other disabled people. We are asking you to help this very special ambassador of the disabled to realise his ambition. Gora is not a beggar. Gora is a visionary that needs a bit of whatever money people can afford to miss. The goal is to provide empowerment and skills to others in his shoes so that they also can become independent and self-sustaining.

If you want provide a helping hand in helping to build a small facility in Gora’s compound and make this dream a reality, please contact Africa Web TV. Africa Night Productions, the mother organisation of Africa Web TV has already decided to put a collector’s bucket at the monthly Africa Night starting in February. This bucket will be there for the rest of 2015. People who have any change to spare can put whatever they can afford in this bucket of hope for Gora. He is aiming to raise just €2,500 to be able to start his school of arts and drama. This target would be easily reached if 2,500 people donate €1 each or if 1,250 people donate €2 each. If 500 people donate €5 each or if just 250 people will donate just €10 each etc. this school can and will take off.

If there are other ways that you think you can help, don’t hesitate to get in touch with Africa Web TV. Please send us a private message on Facebook or contact us via the contact form on our website.

Gora does not need your help for himself, he needs your help to help others in his shoes. Gora walks tall for a person without legs. With your support he can make others walk even taller. And you could facilitate that with some extra coins or note that you might give. Let’s do it!