ABUSHE, THE ETHIOPIAN CHILD WITH BLUE EYES

Abushe lives in Jinka, south Ethiopia. I met him in front of a restaurant during my tour of the Omo Valley. Blue eyes are considered a rare occurrence among Africans. His amazing blue eyes stem from a condition called Waardenburgh syndrome. Waardenburg syndrome is named after the researcher P.J Waardenburg who first precisely described the disorder in 1951. The condition can cause hearing loss and changes in coloring (pigmentation) of the hair, skin, and eyes. Out of every 3000,000 babies, one is born with this rare genetic condition which changes the pigmentation of the eyes. The condition is more common among people with white skin. “If it is not normal, it is evil” is something a lot of cultures think, hence why poor Abushe has been cast out.