The exclusion of cured lepers in the city of Mongo, capital of the Guéra Province in Chad

Abstract

A terrifying disease, leprosy has, throughout the world, achieved a consensus regarding the exclusion of those afflicted. It is worth recalling that it prompted the organization, in 1897, of the very first International Congress of Leprosy, which recommended the isolation of the sick and the creation of leper colonies. In Chad in general, and in the city of Mongo in particular, this recommendation simply followed a long-standing practice of the same nature. The practice of isolating lepers undoubtedly stems from the cultural perception of leprosy within communities. African solidarity is therefore but a shadow of its former self when it comes to this disease. This situation has made the reintegration into society of cured lepers in Mongo extremely difficult, despite their evident will to survive. The cultural stigma surrounding leprosy is so heavy that communities struggle to embrace awareness campaigns aimed at reconsidering the government's entrenched positions, campaigns supported by development partners, NGOs, and faith-based organizations. Ostracized in this way, leprosy patients, even those who no longer have disabilities, are reduced to begging for their survival, whereas integration would allow them to achieve a degree of autonomy.