Nigerian Artist Makes Dark Skin Prosthetic Devices
2020-01-26
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1Michael Sunday was very happy and a little surprised when he first saw his "new" right hand.
2It is a glove-like prosthetic device that covers his real right hand.
3The device should help Sunday return to a normal life after he lost three fingers in a car accident a year ago.
4The prosthetic feels like real skin and is dark in color.
5In fact, the color looks very much like that of Sunday's skin.
6Until now, most manmade body parts available in Nigeria have been white.
7Sometimes the manufacturers use wood. That also looks unrealistic.
8Sunday lost the thumb and fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand in 2018.
9He was riding in a car with his parents when it hit another vehicle.
10The 22-year-old student told the Reuters news agency he really likes the prosthetic device.
11"Wow, this is lovely. Wow, finally, I have my fingers back. Wow! Amazing."
12John Amanam, a Nigerian artist, made the prosthetic hand.
13He once made special effects for movies.
14He became interested in prosthetics after a family member lost a limb in an accident.
15Amanam said he noticed that people who have lost arms or legs often feel uneasy around others.
16One reason was manmade limbs that did not have the same skin color as those wearing them.
17"I became emotional about amputees. They had this feeling of discomfort whenever they were around normal people."
18Amanam decided to do what he could to make amputees feel better.
19Although he does not have any special training in making prosthetics, he did some sculpting as an art student.
20He started making prosthetic fingers, hands, arms, legs and ears in 2017.
21It takes three weeks to two months to make one, depending on the size and complexity of the body part.
22His company is called Immortal Cosmetic Art.
23It sells the pieces for at least 40,000 naira ($111).
24To prepare Michael Sunday's hand, Amanam began as any artist would.
25He made a model and mixed paints, trying to find the right skin color.
26He says the result is lifelike.
27"We have prostheses who are made with white skins. You rarely find people with black skin prosthetics, so I want the blacks, I want Africans, in particular, to have this need solved within Africa."
28Sunday says that he is happy to have the lifelike prosthetic.
29"It has really helped me, because I can go about my normal life without [people] looking at my hand, without hiding my hands or fear of discrimination or feel pity."
30I'm Jill Robbins.
1Michael Sunday was very happy and a little surprised when he first saw his "new" right hand. It is a glove-like prosthetic device that covers his real right hand. 2The device should help Sunday return to a normal life after he lost three fingers in a car accident a year ago. 3The prosthetic feels like real skin and is dark in color. In fact, the color looks very much like that of Sunday's skin. 4White prosthetics for dark-skinned people 5Until now, most manmade body parts available in Nigeria have been white. Sometimes the manufacturers use wood. That also looks unrealistic. 6Sunday lost the thumb and fourth and fifth fingers on his right hand in 2018. He was riding in a car with his parents when it hit another vehicle. 7The 22-year-old student told the Reuters news agency he really likes the prosthetic device. 8"Wow, this is lovely. Wow, finally, I have my fingers back. Wow! Amazing." 9Uneasiness of amputees 10John Amanam, a Nigerian artist, made the prosthetic hand. He once made special effects for movies. He became interested in prosthetics after a family member lost a limb in an accident. 11Amanam said he noticed that people who have lost arms or legs often feel uneasy around others. One reason was manmade limbs that did not have the same skin color as those wearing them. 12"I became emotional about amputees. They had this feeling of discomfort whenever they were around normal people." 13Amanam decided to do what he could to make amputees feel better. Although he does not have any special training in making prosthetics, he did some sculpting as an art student. 14He started making prosthetic fingers, hands, arms, legs and ears in 2017. It takes three weeks to two months to make one, depending on the size and complexity of the body part. 15His company is called Immortal Cosmetic Art. It sells the pieces for at least 40,000 naira ($111). 16An artist at work 17To prepare Michael Sunday's hand, Amanam began as any artist would. He made a model and mixed paints, trying to find the right skin color. He says the result is lifelike. 18"We have prostheses who are made with white skins. You rarely find people with black skin prosthetics, so I want the blacks, I want Africans, in particular, to have this need solved within Africa." 19Sunday says that he is happy to have the lifelike prosthetic. 20"It has really helped me, because I can go about my normal life without [people] looking at my hand, without hiding my hands or fear of discrimination or feel pity." 21I'm Jill Robbins. 22Seun Sanni and Nneka Chile reported on this story for Reuters. Jill Robbins adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 23__________________________________________________________________ 24Words in This Story 25prosthetic - n. an artificial device that replaces a missing or injured part of the body 26glove - n. a covering for the hand that has separate parts for each finger 27limb - n. an arm or leg 28amputee - n. someone who has lost a body part, such as an arm or leg 29sculpting - n. to make (something) by carving or shaping clay, wood, or stone 30pity - n. a strong feeling of sadness or sympathy for someone or something 31Do you know anyone who is an amputee? What kind of medical device do they use? Write to us in the Comments Section.