An old cultural belief prompted Gauteng based filmmaker Mpho Ragophala, 37, to educate society about a rare health condition called Tetra Amelia, through the story of Tinyiko, who was born without arms and legs.
“When I was growing up people would hide their disabled family members from the world,” she explains. “Also, black parents tend to blame themselves for having a disabled child and think that may be God is punishing them for something wrong they may have done, or that the child is bewitched or cursed.”
After seeing Tinyiko on Facebook Ragophala decided to reach out to her and was dumbfounded to discover that she was a very ambitious young woman who is determined to live her life to the fullest despite not having all four limbs.
“I want the audience to understand that disabled people can be employed, they are also ambitious and have goals. They also want to start their own families and have children of their own. They do not want the world to feel sorry for them,” she adds.
Ragophala, who is originally from Polokwane, Limpopo, studied film and television production at City Varsity in Cape Town, where she obtained her Advanced Diploma in film and television Production.
