How I fell in love with blindness

Journalist Itto Outini was born to a poor and illiterate family in Morocco's Atlas mountains. After becoming parentless as a toddler, she was shunted between reluctant extended family members and suffered frequent violence. When Itto was 17 she was blinded by a relative and abandoned. Despite being homeless Itto taught herself braille and found huge comfort in books and learning. She fought for the education denied to her when she was sighted. Her memoir is called Blindness is the Light of my Life.

Women play a crucial role in peace building processes, but their efforts are rarely recognised. Professor Miriam Coronel Ferrer from the Philippines was the first woman to sign a major peace agreement with an armed group as she explains to Kim Chakanetsa. The full interview is available in this edition of The Conversation: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/w3ct37m7

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Harry Graham

(Photo: Itto Outini. Credit: Courtesy of Itto Outini)