The Fondation Pierre Fabre joins forces with Planète J’aime Lire for a special issue devoted to the condition of people with albinism in Africa.

13/06/2023

We are pleased to announce the release of a special issue of Planète J’aime Lire to raise awareness of albinism and support the rights of people with this genetic condition. This is the June issue, as World Albinism Awareness Day is June 13.

This issue benefited from our financial and scientific support, as Béatrice Garrette, Managing Director of the Pierre Fabre Foundation, explains: “We have been working for several years on the prevention of skin cancers and the social and health care of people with albinism, in close partnership with patient associations and dermatology societies in Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Tanzania and Togo. Our actions include organizing consultations with dermatologists in all regions, ensuring the local production and free distribution of sun protection ointment, treating ophthalmic problems associated with albinism, and raising awareness among as many people as possible. This partnership with Bayard Afrique gives us the opportunity to highlight the condition of people with albinism, to speak directly to children and families, and to give advice on how to protect themselves and live better“.

“In Planète J’aime Lire stories, we always take an inclusive approach by featuring characters representing different realities. Whether they’re overweight, disabled, wear glasses or are simply shy, our aim is to promote difference.

Raising awareness of the rights of people with albinism was a real motivation for us, with a fundamental bias: that people with albinism be included, like Mariam Traore, the high-school student who inspired the story, right through to the testimonies of associations from all over the continent that we were able to listen to at the African Dermatology Congress,” explains Laure Blédou, Editorial Director of Bayard Afrique.

With this in mind, the story entitled “Les Olympiades” was written by Cameroonian author Carmen Manga, who had the opportunity to meet Mariam in Abidjan. Mariam’s testimony about the prejudices she faced in Abidjan and Bamako, and her remarkable resilience, deeply inspired Carmen Manga.

The story is illustrated by Ivorian cartoonist Martial Agbré. In his previous collaborations with Planète J’aime Lire, he regularly included people with albinism in his illustrations.Designed and printed in Africa, Planète J’Aime Lire magazines are available at points of sale in ten West and Central African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Congo-Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, and worldwide via the www.boutique.bayard-afrique.com online store.

This magazine raises awareness of albinism in schools, such as here at the Yacouba Sidibé primary school in Mali.