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Outlook: Becoming a star: the busker with albinism

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Lazarus Chingwandali

24/06/2019 GMT

Becoming a star: the busker with albinism

BBC World Service - Outlook, Becoming a star: the busker with albinism

Lazarus Chigwandali went from performing on the streets of Malawi to working with Madonna

Singer Lazarus Chigwandali has albinism which meant his life in Malawi wasn't easy, but that all changed when a video of him was seen by Swedish music producer Johan Hugo.

Singer Lazarus Chigwandali has albinism, which meant his life growing up in Malawi wasn't easy, but everything changed for Lazarus when a video of him performing his song 'Stomp on the devil' was seen by Swedish music producer Johan Hugo.  Johan helped Lazarus to make a record... and that's not all, as a result of that, Lazarus ended up working with Madonna who produced a documentary about him.     

An usual business success story has come from Jerash camp in Jordan, where a group of Palestinian women refugees have got involved with an embroidery project called SEP Jordan. It’s the first private company ever set up in the camp, and the woman behind it all is former Italian stockbroker, Roberta Ventura. The women have been embroidering luxury scarves and other goods that are sold in some of the most famous shops in the world, and last year they were asked to embroider the costumes for the Hollywood film Mary Magdalene. Dale Gavlak has been to Jerash camp to meet a couple of them.

Jason P. Howe was a British conflict photographer covering the war in Colombia, when he met a young woman at a bus stop. Her name was Marilyn, and they started a relationship that would last several years. Over time, it became clear to Jason that Marilyn had another life. Eventually she revealed a violent secret that was shocking even in the context of a warzone. Marilyn was an assassin for Colombian paramilitary forces. Jason tells Andrea Kennedy his story.

Image: Lazarus Chigwandali
Credit: David Darg

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