Blue-eyed blonde Nmachi, whose name means "Beauty of God" in the Nigerian couple's homeland, has baffled genetics experts because neither Ben nor wife Angela have ANY mixed-race family history.
Pale genes skipping generations before cropping up again could have explained the baby's appearance.
Ben also stressed: "My wife is true to me. Even if she hadn't been, the baby still wouldn't look like that.
"We both just sat there after the birth staring at her for ages - not saying anything."
Doctors at Queen Mary's Hospital in Sidcup - where Angela, from nearby Woolwich, gave birth - have told the parents Nmachi is definitely no albino.
Ben, who came to Britain with his wife five years ago and works for South Eastern Trains, said: "She doesn't look like an albino child anyway - not like the ones I've seen back in Nigeria or in books. She just looks like a healthy white baby."
He went on: "My mum is a black Nigerian although she has a bit fairer skin than mine.
"But we don't know of any white ancestry. We wondered if it was a genetic twist.
"But even then, what is with the long curly blonde hair?"
Full story can be found here
Most of the situations where this type of scenario arises concern I.V.F mix ups, but the fact this happened naturally is a real kick in the teeth to a lot of people who depend heavily on the genetic argument for why race is so important.Many people are simply brushing it off as a moderate case of albinism, but even so, the appearance of the baby in contrast to her family is what makes it such a good front page story.This just makes me want to side-eye 'purity of the race' people even more and if real, it may prove how incredibly complex genetics and the human race really are. We are all related, no matter how different our appearances may be - at a base level, we're all family. *Puts on dashiki and, sets alight incense, picks up guitar and starts playing"Kumbaya".*
lol!! That picture of the cat is so funny!
ReplyDeleteI really want to believe this story, I really really do but there is a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that all is not quite right.
It seems really unfair for me as a general member of the public to want to see genetic tests done on the child and parents but I think this is as a result of them placing themselves in the public spotlight.
I actually do believe the child belongs to the man, Nigerian women (those that I know) have a reputation of faithfulness to their husbands. The thing I doubt is whether there isn't a recent familial link to caucasian dna.
I think it's quite an intrepid move for them to have made - her distinctive features within her family mean they'll have warranted attention in the future. With this way, they've shot two birds with a stone: They've addressed the issue, and they've (probably) also received enough revenue to make sure their living for the next few years will be quite comfortable.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about the faithfulness issue - plus, if she had been unfaithful, I doubt it would have been...that....obvious...
And I won't be surprised if it turns out to be a form of albinism or something...We'll see how it turns out!
Wowzer! That story is nuts!
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