Shockwaves are reverberating across Yorùbáland and the global Yorùbá diaspora following the sudden death of the Baba Ọba (King’s Father) of the famed Oyotunji African Village in South Carolina, USA. The late Baba Ọba, Lukman Arohunfale, a revered socialite and traditionalist, passed away under circumstances already sparking fierce controversy. His death comes just days after he publicly accused the newly installed Alaafin of Oyo, His Imperial Majesty Oba Akeem Adéyẹmọ Owoade, of allegedly ordering his courtiers to beat him mercilessly during a recent courtesy visit to the Oyo palace in Nigeria. In a widely circulated voice recording, the deceased recounted how what was meant to be a simple homage turned violent. Although the Baba Ọba had reportedly battled ill health in the past year, growing insinuations suggest that the alleged physical assault may have aggravated his condition, ultimately leading to his untimely death. The palace in Oyo recently denied that s...
Shalini Yadav, 16, suffers from Erythroderma, an inflammatory skin disease also known as 'red man syndrome', which doctors are unable to treat.
She needs to soak her body in water every hour and smear it in moisturiser every three hours to prevent it from seizing up and flaking off.
But her family of eight cannot afford the cream and she has shed her skin every 45 days since she was born.
And she has now been thrown out of school because the other children are scared of her because of her snake-like appearance.
Her desperate mother Devkunwar said: 'Shalini is suffering from the disease since childhood.
'We saw several doctors but none of them could cure her and her condition has continued to get worse.
'I feel so helpless when I see her skin coming off, causing excruciating pain to my child.
'This disease is not killing her but taking her life bit by bit. We have no idea where to go to and who to consult.'
Devkunwar, a care-giver in a state-funded community centre, is so heart-broken she says death would be kinder to her daughter.
She added: 'It is better to die than living a life of misery.'
Shalini's two siblings Sejal, 15, and Price, eight, are normal with no such complication.
Her father Rajbahadur, a daily wage worker, said: 'It's really sad because she was not born normally and has scaly skin all over her body.
'It is similar to being severely burnt, from the sole of her feet to her head.'
Shalini said: 'I wanted to study but they threw me out of school as the children would get scared by seeing my face.
'Everybody in the family is suffering because of my medical condition.
'But what is my fault? What sin did I commit to be cursed with such a disease. I want to live.
'Please help me, if you can.'
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