Djami was born in Liberia to a Guinean doctor, a Guyanese teacher, and a family of three sisters, including a twin. When she was around one years old, she was diagnosed with Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy. Her parents, taking into account the outbreak of war in Liberia and the growing expensive healthcare needs of their youngest daughter, decided to make the move to France when Djami was just four years old. To this day, her memories of Liberia are fragmented images. She recalls ill-formed memories like the time she was sick on her pillow in her bed or the sound of a gunshot and the scramble of her siblings for safety, her eldest sister swinging her up in her arms and clutching her close.
Guinean-Guyanese and Canadian: Wheelchair sprint racer Djami Diallo on her Paralympic dreams
With photography by Brenda Spielmann Wheelchair sprint racer Djami Diallo is not deterred by life’s complications and narrative complexity. In fact, she is deeply aware of the idea that some questions have multi-layered answers and that some memories can be both innocently joyous and yet deeply resonant.
