Regina Mary Nlodvu say she bin dey play for her front garden wen one man wey she trust sexually abuse her. Her first sexual abuse.
“Im give me sweet, kon ask me to sidon for im lap,” she remember. “And wen I sidon, im put im hand under my dress and abuse me.”
Regina say dis na di first time wey dem bin sexually abuse her – at di age of eight – but no be di last.
She say di same man come back to her house for Ennerdale, South Africa, im pretend say im dey visit her parents, kon sexually assault and rape her many more times for di following years.
E no be di only one, she tell BBC.
Regina say she bin suffer oda sexual and non sexual attacks ova di years.
Di 34-year-old say her attacker target her becos dem born her wit albinism, one inherited condition wey dey affect di bodi production of melanin, di pigment wey dey give colour to skin.
Dis na sake of im fake belief say as im dey rape her, im no go eva sick, Regina explain.
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Dis idea na one of di many dangerous fake belief around albinism.
Now, afta years of battling depression, di Zambia-born South African actress dey promote beta understanding of pipo wey dey live wit di condition.
Even though she just learn to read and write 10 years ago at di age of 24, she don also write plus act for her own play about albinism and her own life.
Di new mama wan make sure say odas no go go through wetin she go through, by tackling all di fake belief wey surround di condition.
Some believe say small pieces of albino white hair fit bring good luck and riches, while odas believe more evil misunderstanding – including say having sex wit pesin wey get di condition fit cure HIV.
Since outbreak of Covid-19, e also get false rumours say e fit cure coronavirus too.
Pipo wit albinism dey suffer kidnapping and dem dey kill demsef becos of di fake belief say dia bodi part get magic powers.
“Wen I bin dey five years old, children go gada for gate outside our garden evriday,” she remember.
Wen Regina go meet dem, tinking say dem wan play, dem go run away.
She bin tink say dis na part of di play until one woman enta dia yard one day wit her small daughter.
“Di little girl take one look at me and begin cry,” she say. “She tink say I be monster and e really upset me.”
Regina also notice say her school classmates go spit inside dia t-shirts as she dey waka pass.
She later learn say dat spitting dey superstitious – somtin wey dem tink say go protect dem against dia belief say dem fit get dia own albino child.
Regina struggle for school sake of her condition. She find am difficult to see di blackboard due to bad eye (common characteristic of albinism), and bin fit only see small distance in front of her.
But wen she complain, di teacher say dem no go get any “special arrangements” for her.
Regina leave school without knowing how to read and write, meaning say she bin no fit work.
But for 2013, she discover one audiobook of di Bible and e transform her life.
“I bin dey freeze wen I see books – dem bin dey make me feel stupid and my whole world go stop,” she explain.
“But I come begin listen to audiobooks, I realise say e get dis beautiful connection between sounds and words – and di world open up for me.”
Wit di help of Di Young African Leaders Initiative, she bin dey able to write and perform her one-woman play wey she call “Mary, My voice.”
“Wen I bin dey young, e no get any kain representation of albino pipo for TV,” she tok. “I wan change dat”.
Someone for di audience of Regina show, wey bin dey inspired by di play, pay for her to get private teacher to begin learn di basics of reading and writing.
“I still find reading and writing difficult, but di point be say I no dey fear am badly like I bin dey do bifor,” she explain.
Regina hope say one day she go fit help her baby daughter wit her school homework.
For now though, she still dey go through di feferitis of early motherhood – afta one rocky pregnancy.
“Look her, look how beautiful she dey,” she tok, as she dey play wit her newborn baby girl wey she name Bohlale Sabelo Isabel.
Bohlale no get albinism but Regina say, if to say she get am, den she “for happy”.
“Na somtin wey I don learn to love,” she say. “She be my whole world and I hope to give her di opportunities wey I bin no get.”
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