Book calls for inclusion and participation of persons living with disabilities

Kinshasa, October 5^th, 2026 (CPA).- The inclusion and participation of persons living with disabilities are at the heart of the book “Ma vie entre (vos parenthèses), entre vos chromosomes 21 et 15” (“My Life Between Your Parentheses, Between Your Chromosomes 21 and 15”), presented Monday in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo, by its author during an interview with CPA. “In this book, I invite people to consider the person before the disability, to listen more closely to families and parents who live with these realities every day, not to reduce a person to their diagnosis, to promote their inclusion and participation in society, and also to be able to talk about fatigue, psychological suffering and depression without shame or judgment,” said Élodie Ngalaka, the author of the book. “Through my testimony, I also wish to remind people that families affected by disability should not themselves be put between parentheses. I invite everyone to embrace our differences as a full part of our humanity. We are all alike, while also being different,” she added. The author further explained that, in this autobiographical novel, she recounts part of her journey as a woman, mother and grandmother, profoundly marked by the disability of two people who are dear to her. “My son Florian and my grandson Elias. Through their story and mine, I address disability, the announcement of the diagnosis, other people’s perceptions, the difficulties, but also the small and great joys of everyday life. I also talk about mental health and some of my own vulnerabilities,” she said, stressing that the book is also a way of giving a voice to those who, like Florian and Elias, are not always able to tell their own stories. “I wanted to show that beyond a chromosome, a syndrome or a diagnosis, there is first and foremost a person, a life, a personality, emotions and a place to occupy in our society,” she stressed. Published by Mabiki Editions, “Ma vie entre vos parenthèses, entre vos chromosomes 21 et 15” is an autobiographical novel consisting of 117 pages. A Dutch national, Élodie Ngalaka was born in Kinshasa to a father of Dutch and Cabindan descent and a Congolese mother. Married, a mother and grandmother, she pursued her studies in Belgium, her adopted country. Her writing focuses on poetry, particularly spoken-word poetry, or performed poetry.