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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Movie review: Emmanuel's Gift

Recommend this movie. It's about one disabled man's efforts in Ghana to change perceptions about people with disabilities.

In Ghana, 10 per cent of the population is disabled, but due to the fact that people believe disability is a punishment from a deity, people with disabilities are destined to beg in the streets. Emmanuel's father abandons the family when he is born with a shortened leg, but his mother encourages him to go to school and work.

After her death, the youth is determined to better things for others. What begins with a bike ride across the country to prove that stereotypes about pwd are wrong ends with Emmanuel receiving a prosthetic leg in the US. He then returns to Ghana with grant money - which allows him to better conditions for others with disabilities. The money is used toward wheelchairs and education of kids with disabilities. Emmanuel also leads the effort toward the passage of a Disability Bill in Ghana.

This documentary runs 1 hour and 20 minutes. It contains subtitles in parts.

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