The 'metal bird' that sparked a dream
Growing up in a village in Ghana, Ousman Umar was fascinated when he saw an aeroplane. He was told it was a 'metal bird' made by white people. That sighting would change his life.
When Ousman was a small boy in a village in Ghana, he was fascinated by his first sight of an aeroplane. Village elders told him it was a metal bird made by white people. That sparked a dream – to travel to meet the people who could design and enjoy such things. His dream would take him first to the Ghanaian capital Accra and then on a perilous journey towards Europe that would change him forever.
Ousman Umar's book about his journey is called North to Paradise. His NGO is called NASCO Feeding Minds.
Get in touch: outlook@bbc.com
Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Katy Takatsuki
(Photo: Ousman Umar. Credit: Santi G. Barros)
Last on
Broadcasts
- Tue 5 Jul 202211:06GMTBBC World Service
- Tue 5 Jul 202217:06GMTBBC World Service except East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa
- Tue 5 Jul 202221:06GMTBBC World Service East and Southern Africa & West and Central Africa only
- Wed 6 Jul 202202:06GMTBBC World Service
Watch Lives Less Ordinary on YouTube
Videos from our extraordinary podcast Lives Less Ordinary.
Contact Outlook
Info on how we might use your contribution on air
Podcast: Lives Less Ordinary
Step into someone else’s life and expect the unexpected
