The Monkey Boy now a man
By Esther Agwang
Robert Mayanja was raised my monkeys until he was six years old. Social anthropologists branded him a feral child one whose life has partly been shaped by the wild. He is now aged 27 and living at LArche Community, an NGO in Busega, Kampala, that offers physiotherapy and occupational therapy to mentally handicapped children and young adults.
At LArche, Robert is free to break the rules. That is why he walks around the compound and lies down wherever he wants when everyone else is busy with chores.
He drags his feet as he walks, his fists folded to his chest. His tongue hangs out and he is constantly drooling. He has the height of a boy and his feet are as small as a 10-year-olds. Its his mature face, creased with wrinkles and a small moustache that betray his age.
Everest Bangirana, one of the care assistants, recalls that during his first encounters with Robert, he thought Robert wanted to fight him. I used to run away. Then I resorted to standing still, ready to fight back. Later I discovered that he is not violent; its just his way of expressing love. When he folds his hands, he expects you to reach out to him for a hug, Bangirana says, cuddling Robert, who is on his lap.
I could understand Bangiranas first reaction to Robert, as I had also taken a few steps back the first time I saw him.
Robert does not do daily chores like everyone. Although he is assigned to the farm, he hardly digs or does any cleaning. Once we tried to entice him with jerrycans but his mind was so far from the activity, says Emmanuel Kiwanuka, the farm manager. Because of his mental disability, he still has to learn about his environment. He needs love and care from us because sometimes we act as his eyes and hands.
Sharing life is what we believe in at LArche, says Andrew Yooumbe, the Community Director. And Robert is sharing life. Roberts presence is his contribution to the community. Just having him around satisfies us, Kiwan uka says.
Yooumbe adds, Robert challenges our patience. For example, it took ages for him to perfect his toilet manners. And sometimes when he finds a potato on the farm he will want to eat to it raw. I think his priority is finding a place where he is secure and comfortable and we have come to accept him as he is, Kiwanuka says.
Instead of tending the farm, Robert lies on the dirty floor near the livestock. All he does is get his clothes dirty, and he never washes them himself. Not because he is stubborn but because his limbs are weak.
The Rescue
Roberts story dates back to the early 1980s, during the civil unrest of Milton Obotes regime. Except for his birthplace, known to be Luweero, nothing more about Roberts birthday, parents and early childhood is known. The only available history starts when soldiers found him the forest in 1985 with a pack of monkeys.
It is believed that his parents were killed in 1982 during the war and the boy was abandon ed in the forest. It is presumed that he was about three years old and lived in the wild for another three years.
As the soldiers roamed about the bushes, they spotted what they imagined could have been a human being among monkeys. They had to disperse the monkeys in order to rescue the boy.
It was a struggle because the monkeys put up a fight. One adult female monkey held Robert tightly to her bosom in an attempt to protect him from his captors. Robert had found a home in the jungle with his adopted family and could not be separated from them.
While in the wild, Robert survived on fruits, berries and roots and learnt all the mannerisms of monkeys.
When he was found, he could not sit or stand, but only squat and jump. He neither smiled nor talked but made jungle noises. He quickly became known as the Monkey Boy.
The Dark Ages
We are taken through another silent period of Roberts life. Theres no account of who kept him and for how long before he was se nt to Naguru Childrens Home, UWESO and then to court awaiting adoption. All he had was a few medical chits describing his condition and certifying that he was fully human, says Yooumbe.
A New Home
On July 5 1991, Robert set foot at the LArche home. He was about 12. Since the date of his birth was uncertain, LArche Community created one for him July 5. His birthday is celebrated every year and Robert probably knows it as the day he gets to wear the best clothes there are.
Doctors described Robert as an autistic child; one in his own world. He had a dull personality and would not respond easily to human beings. He would swallow food very fast without chewing, Yooumbe says.
After 14 years of patient training, Robert has learnt a few basic life skills like toilet manners.
He knows when it time for toilet and doesnt soil himself. He walks to the toilet door and waits for someone to help him, Yooumbe says.
But there are some jungle traits that hav e stuck with him. Early every morning after breakfast, he looks for a comfortable spot on the ground, folds his arms and legs and lies on the ground to enjoy the sun, says Yooumbe. Robert also picks grass and stones, which go straight into his mouth.
When he walks, his posture is that of a monkey. If you extend a hand, he will greet you. But usually Robert greets with the language he knows best a powerful hug.
The day I visited, he was sunbathing when Yooumbe tapped him. When he recognised him, he jumped up for a hug and remained there, waiting to be carried and petted. Then he noticed the stranger that I was and hid behind Yooumbe. He relates with people he is familiar with, Yooumbe told me.
Though he has good eyesight, Robert hardly notices the other children around him. On a bad day, he walks over them if they are in his way.
Yooumbe says that although Robert has some affection for people, he is not really interested in them. He smiles very rarely.
He is now accustomed to the routine of the community. Wake up time is 5:00am. As soon as the bedroom lights are on, Robert and his three roommates jump out of bed. First stop is the toilet and then the bathroom. Since he cannot bathe himself, Roberts care assistant lends him a hand.
In the beginning, it was a struggle to take him through the bathroom ritual. But now it is his favourite, Bangirana says.
Clothes were not part of Robert either. Yet now, he voluntarily lifts his legs in turn to wear trousers and stretches out his hands for the shirt. Though he enjoys clothes, he cannot dress himself independently. And he doesnt know where to keep his clothes.
Robert does not have to be hounded to eat breakfast. He knows that from the bathroom, it time for the kitchen, says Bangirana. He makes his presence known there before sitting down at the dining table. Initially, he could not sit on the chair and had to be tied to it during meals. Now he comfortably sits down and wa its to be served.
Robert is emotional and gets excited when he hears the sound of drums roll. On his birthday celebrations, Robert shakes his body and nods his head when the music is played.
Since he cannot talk, he makes sounds to indicate feelings of pain, hunger or happiness. He cries when hurt and dances when happy.
The Future
According to Yooumbe, although Robert has learnt a lot, he has a long way to go. He still needs a lot of help from the physiotherapist and occupational therapist. And they hope that one day he will be independent and live on his own like some of the children and young adults who have gone through rehabilitation at LArche, he says.
I say farewell to the rest of the children as Robert walks away, his head tilted to the side, as if he is lost in deep thought.
Clearly, Robert lingers between two worlds. One of the wild, which he is trying to forget, yet wont let go because a great part of him belongs there. And the other of hum ans, which he cannot fathom.
EndsPublished on: Sunday, 17th July, 2005
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