When Ubokobong Amanam lost his fingers in an accident he teamed up with his brother John, a special effects artist, to design a prosthetic that suited him – now they run a thriving business
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n a humid morning in Uyo, Nigeria, Ubokobong Amanam shows off the lifelike prosthetic where his fingers once were. The skin bears tiny wrinkles, and the nails are naturally shaped. Seven years ago, he was badly injured in a firework accident. Doctors could save him, but not his fingers.
The prosthetics available at the time were clumsy, poorly fitted and designed for bodies nothing like his.
“At first, it was deeply disappointing to realise there were no hyper-realistic or even realistic African-style prosthetics,” he says. “That discovery made me feel worse and intensified my depression.”
