Born in war-torn Sierra Leone, Michaela DePrince is now the Dutch National Ballet’s 2nd soloist. Working to change the industry, she wears brown tights and pointe shoes. She’s also worked with Beyonce on her album ‘Lemonade,’ been the face of Jockey and JP Morgan Chase campaigns, and is an ambassador of War Child Holland.Michaela DePrince was born in war-torn Sierra Leone during the country’s decade-long civil war. Rebels killed her father, and shortly after her mother died of fever and starvation. She had vitiligo, a condition that causes patches of skin to lose its color. In her native land vitiligo was considered a curse of the devil. This caused her uncle to abandon her at an orphanage. There she was taunted and abused by the women who cared for the children. They called her the devil’s child.“I was born with vitiligo, a skin condition which causes patches of my skin to lose its pigment and turn white. Because of this, I was exposed to ridicule and harassment in the orphanage. They called me the devil’s child,” she told War Child Holland, an NGO that works exclusively to improve the resilience and wellbeing of children living with violence and armed conflict. Deprince has been the organisation’s ambassador since 2016. “What I’ve learnt along the way is that it takes a great deal more than a safe place to sleep, food on the table or fame and fortune to really overcome the past. Dare to dream? Yes. But first we have to really look inwards,” she continues. One day she found a magazine blowing in the wind. On its cover was a photograph of a beautiful ballerina en pointe. Once Michaela saw this she found hope and determination to one day become just like that ballerina. Soon after the discovery of the magazine, an American…
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