By Maria Famakinwa

“Being a dwarf in Nigeria is quite tough. Cultural beliefs and stigma make finding love difficult for us.”

Wumi, 37, radiated with joy while growing up under the care of her supportive parents and siblings, without envisaging any future challenge she would have to contend with as a dwarf.

Findings revealed that most dwarfism-related conditions are genetic disorders, but the causes of some disorders are unknown. Dwarfism is caused by a gene mutation in the egg or sperm cell before or during conception. This mutation hinders the development of the skeletal system and causes most of the cartilages not to get converted to bones. Hence, two average height parents with no history of dwarfism can have a dwarf child or children. Same also for dwarf parents; it is possible for two dwarf parents to have average height children.

There are some myths and misconceptions surrounding little persons. Such myths and misconceptions include the belief that they possess  evil power, that mystical witches have taken over their bodies, being married to a little person will bring about having little children, that they are forbidden by cultural practices, that they can only be married to traditionalists, and that their stature hinders progress, among others.

Wumi’s ordeal, according to her, started when her class mates in Junior Secondary School started making jest of her because of her stature. “I was so discouraged that I almost stopped going to school, if not for my father’s words of encouragement, who was also a little person. He felt and understood my pains and advised me to ignore them, telling me that he also had similar experiences while he was in secondary school. He told me that the only advantage he had over his classmates that made him overcome bullying was that he was very brilliant which warmed him into the hearts of teachers. That also compelled other students to be his friends.”

Wumi, a graduate of Economics Education from Federal College of Education, Oyo State, revealed that despite having good grades, it was tough for her to find true love as she was disappointed by her first lover, a lawyer, who later abandoned her on the ground that his family did not support the marriage. “It was as if my world had collapsed because I never expected him to leave me, despite his assurance that my small stature was not a barrier to our future.

“After years of endless search for an average height man without result, I settled down for my type of man who is also a graduate, and we are blessed with two kids who take after our stature.”

Wumi’s regret was her inability to marry an average height man so as not to give birth to children with small stature which she eventually have. “I am only consoled that I eventually found love again and I am happily married with kids  to a man who will not despise me despite my physical challenge.”

Asked what her greatest fear was, she said: “My greatest fear is not to have a family of dwarf. Already, my mother is a dwarf. I married a dwarf. My two children also have my stature. I don’t want this to become a family stigma. An elder sister of mine who is of age is still praying for a husband because of her stature. Being a dwarf in Nigeria is quite tough. Cultural beliefs and stigma make finding love difficult for us.

“Most times, I feel reluctant going out because people laugh at my size and stare at me fearfully. Some of our relatives even advised us against moving about due to many reasons. My experience during my teaching practice in Oyo State was another event in my life that I don’t like remembering. Anytime I think about the challenges little persons face in Nigeria, I ask myself how my children will be able to survive it. Despite the fact that they are still in primary school, they have started having similar experiences. I wish the government could do more to sensitize the general public on the need to show us love and acceptance, instead of discrimination and bullying.

“How many little persons do you come across in  markets, banks or other public places? This is because they prefer to stay indoors to prevent people  making jest of them, unless it is compulsory for them to go out. Even companies don’t like employing people of my nature. The general public need to be sensitized that we are human beings like them and not evil as some people wrongly view us. Being a little person is not our making and we cannot do anything to change the way God created us. We need love and support from the society to weather the storm. We are medically fit and mentally all right.

“Most people see us as possessing evil spirits. People make disparaging comments, taunt, and discriminate against little persons, forgetting that we are also human beings like them and deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity as everyone else. Another erroneous belief by some people is that little persons can only marry traditional worshippers which is not right. It is only because of the country we find ourselves in. In America and other developed countries, people of my stature attain high positions in different establishments and they are not discriminated against, unlike our country where daily scorn and abuse by the society contribute to our woes,” she lamented.

Wumi’s husband, Mr Dolapo, also expressed sadness over how people discriminate against them, mocking and calling them different names. He recalled being bullied, abused and tagged “Rara” (dwarf) during his secondary school days. “When I was 11 years old, I asked my mother why people stared at me in a questionable way. She told me that I should not be bothered about anybody’s reaction towards me but that I should remain focused. However, the reality dawned on me when I was in SSS 1. I was so sad that I wished I could change my nature. I was relieved the day I saw a man who was of my stature. I told my parents and they replied that I should put my mind at rest, that some people, both male and female, were like me. It was then my hope came alive. I vowed since then that whatever the case may be, I will make it and I will not limit myself.”

On the challenges little persons face, he said that most little persons have turbulent relationships with average height people. “Five years back, a dwarf was impregnated by a man of an average height, only for the man to claim that he was hypnotized by the lady. Since then, nobody could trace him. Thank God, the lady gave birth safely to a boy with normal height.

Asked if either of his parents is a dwarf, Mr Dolapo said that neither of his parents is a dwarf but his late grandmother was a dwarf. “I want to believe that I inherited it from my late grandmother because I am the only child with this stature out of my parents’ four children. I have accepted my fate and moved on. It was tough when I was growing up, but now I have overcome all the insults. I now see scorn and abuse by the society, children in particular, as something I should learn to live with, since I cannot alter my nature.

On how he met his wife, he said that a family friend introduced her to him. Wumi’s husband who also strove to marry an average lady but to no avail revealed that they pretended to love him, collected his money and ran away. “When I could no longer cope with average height ladies’ deceitful acts, I settled for my type of person. Though I would have loved to marry an average height lady, they don’t like associating with people like me. To people of normal heights, we are dwarfs and small in size but they should not forget that big things come in small packages. The taste of soup is in the tongue. We may be small in stature but good in bed. I mean we are loaded below the belt.”

Speaking about what kept him going, he said that the only joy he had was being married with lovely kids. “I am a graduate of technical school but my nature denied me many opportunities. Otherwise, I would have gone far in life. At a point in my life, I forgot about marriage until I met my wife through a family friend. Actually, I never thought of getting married to her because we are of the same stature, but I later reasoned that since average height ladies had disappointed me. Therefore, it would be better to marry my wife who is a little person like me and also a graduate.  I concluded that it would be advisable to settle for her, since average height people were rejecting us. Today, we have God to thank. Securing employment was another challenge I faced after my marriage. My wife came up with the idea of farming which we started four years ago, and it has been the major source of our income. The only advice I have is for the general public to understand that being little persons is not our making. They should show love to us, instead of condemning and tagging us as evil,” he pleaded.

Wumi, 37, radiated with joy while growing up under the care of her supportive parents and siblings, without envisaging any future challenge she would have to contend with as a dwarf.

Findings revealed that most dwarfism-related conditions are genetic disorders, but the causes of some disorders are unknown. Dwarfism is caused by a gene mutation in the egg or sperm cell before or during conception. This mutation hinders the development of the skeletal system and causes most of the cartilages not to get converted to bones. Hence, two average height parents with no history of dwarfism can have a dwarf child or children. Same also for dwarf parents; it is possible for two dwarf parents to have average height children.

There are some myths and misconceptions surrounding little persons. Such myths and misconceptions include the belief that they possess  evil power, that mystical witches have taken over their bodies, being married to a little person will bring about having little children, that they are forbidden by cultural practices, that they can only be married to traditionalists, and that their stature hinders progress, among others.

Wumi’s ordeal, according to her, started when her class mates in Junior Secondary School started making jest of her because of her stature. “I was so discouraged that I almost stopped going to school, if not for my father’s words of encouragement, who was also a little person. He felt and understood my pains and advised me to ignore them, telling me that he also had similar experiences while he was in secondary school. He told me that the only advantage he had over his classmates that made him overcome bullying was that he was very brilliant which warmed him into the hearts of teachers. That also compelled other students to be his friends.”

Wumi, a graduate of Economics Education from Federal College of Education, Oyo State, revealed that despite having good grades, it was tough for her to find true love as she was disappointed by her first lover, a lawyer, who later abandoned her on the ground that his family did not support the marriage. “It was as if my world had collapsed because I never expected him to leave me, despite his assurance that my small stature was not a barrier to our future.

“After years of endless search for an average height man without result, I settled down for my type of man who is also a graduate, and we are blessed with two kids who take after our stature.”

Wumi’s regret was her inability to marry an average height man so as not to give birth to children with small stature which she eventually have. “I am only consoled that I eventually found love again and I am happily married with kids  to a man who will not despise me despite my physical challenge.”

Asked what her greatest fear was, she said: “My greatest fear is not to have a family of dwarf. Already, my mother is a dwarf. I married a dwarf. My two children also have my stature. I don’t want this to become a family stigma. An elder sister of mine who is of age is still praying for a husband because of her stature. Being a dwarf in Nigeria is quite tough. Cultural beliefs and stigma make finding love difficult for us.

“Most times, I feel reluctant going out because people laugh at my size and stare at me fearfully. Some of our relatives even advised us against moving about due to many reasons. My experience during my teaching practice in Oyo State was another event in my life that I don’t like remembering. Anytime I think about the challenges little persons face in Nigeria, I ask myself how my children will be able to survive it. Despite the fact that they are still in primary school, they have started having similar experiences. I wish the government could do more to sensitize the general public on the need to show us love and acceptance, instead of discrimination and bullying.

“How many little persons do you come across in  markets, banks or other public places? This is because they prefer to stay indoors to prevent people  making jest of them, unless it is compulsory for them to go out. Even companies don’t like employing people of my nature. The general public need to be sensitized that we are human beings like them and not evil as some people wrongly view us. Being a little person is not our making and we cannot do anything to change the way God created us. We need love and support from the society to weather the storm. We are medically fit and mentally all right.

“Most people see us as possessing evil spirits. People make disparaging comments, taunt, and discriminate against little persons, forgetting that we are also human beings like them and deserve to be treated with the same respect and dignity as everyone else. Another erroneous belief by some people is that little persons can only marry traditional worshippers which is not right. It is only because of the country we find ourselves in. In America and other developed countries, people of my stature attain high positions in different establishments and they are not discriminated against, unlike our country where daily scorn and abuse by the society contribute to our woes,” she lamented.

Wumi’s husband, Mr Dolapo, also expressed sadness over how people discriminate against them, mocking and calling them different names. He recalled being bullied, abused and tagged “Rara” (dwarf) during his secondary school days. “When I was 11 years old, I asked my mother why people stared at me in a questionable way. She told me that I should not be bothered about anybody’s reaction towards me but that I should remain focused. However, the reality dawned on me when I was in SSS 1. I was so sad that I wished I could change my nature. I was relieved the day I saw a man who was of my stature. I told my parents and they replied that I should put my mind at rest, that some people, both male and female, were like me. It was then my hope came alive. I vowed since then that whatever the case may be, I will make it and I will not limit myself.”

On the challenges little persons face, he said that most little persons have turbulent relationships with average height people. “Five years back, a dwarf was impregnated by a man of an average height, only for the man to claim that he was hypnotized by the lady. Since then, nobody could trace him. Thank God, the lady gave birth safely to a boy with normal height.

Asked if either of his parents is a dwarf, Mr Dolapo said that neither of his parents is a dwarf but his late grandmother was a dwarf. “I want to believe that I inherited it from my late grandmother because I am the only child with this stature out of my parents’ four children. I have accepted my fate and moved on. It was tough when I was growing up, but now I have overcome all the insults. I now see scorn and abuse by the society, children in particular, as something I should learn to live with, since I cannot alter my nature.

On how he met his wife, he said that a family friend introduced her to him. Wumi’s husband who also strove to marry an average lady but to no avail revealed that they pretended to love him, collected his money and ran away. “When I could no longer cope with average height ladies’ deceitful acts, I settled for my type of person. Though I would have loved to marry an average height lady, they don’t like associating with people like me. To people of normal heights, we are dwarfs and small in size but they should not forget that big things come in small packages. The taste of soup is in the tongue. We may be small in stature but good in bed. I mean we are loaded below the belt.”

Speaking about what kept him going, he said that the only joy he had was being married with lovely kids. “I am a graduate of technical school but my nature denied me many opportunities. Otherwise, I would have gone far in life. At a point in my life, I forgot about marriage until I met my wife through a family friend. Actually, I never thought of getting married to her because we are of the same stature, but I later reasoned that since average height ladies had disappointed me. Therefore, it would be better to marry my wife who is a little person like me and also a graduate.  I concluded that it would be advisable to settle for her, since average height people were rejecting us. Today, we have God to thank. Securing employment was another challenge I faced after my marriage. My wife came up with the idea of farming which we started four years ago, and it has been the major source of our income. The only advice I have is for the general public to understand that being little persons is not our making. They should show love to us, instead of condemning and tagging us as evil,” he pleaded.