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"Nothing at first," she says. "When he started to talk to me I was surprised to find that he was very arrogant." Women are sometimes attracted to arrogant men, I mention. "Ja, I suppose so," she admits.
Are there any issues when it comes to having a relationship with a dwarf?
"Just that people look at us differently. But we are a normal couple."
"Only my arms and legs are small", Smuts is eager to point out, "everything else is in full proportion." Thanks for the information, Lawrence Smuts. Moving on. We meet Stefan, from Pretoria. He is an IT specialist, a metalhead, and pretty big for a dwarf. He could probably take me in a fight, which admittedly is not saying much.
"The best part of this is getting to travel to Standerton, which I definitely think is the most exciting place in South Africa," he deadpans. I ask him if he feels that people treat him differently.
"Ja, but you know, even for me it's weird seeing little people. At first I'm always like what the fuck? And then I remember, "Oh yes, I'm little too." You should have been backstage at the pageant last night. It was a party. I met the guy who won and we hit it off straight away. We looked at each other and because we're both small there's and instant connection". What does Stefan think of the festival?
"Its OK, but there aren't enough of us, you know? It just seems like an excuse for a party. And next time they'd better have it in Pretoria. I'm not coming all the way here again." We meet two sisters and a friend with forms of dwarfism clearly more rare and serious than most. They have legs that are not only tiny, but immobile, and so they're wheel-chair bound. The lady who does most of the talking, and her sister, both suffer from a condition called Lorain disease, a rare form of pituitary dwarfism that relates to idiopathic infantilism, whatever that means. The lady is talkative and not at all self-pitying, but she does have a lot to say about her treatment, and the treatment of South African disabled people in general. She works as an archivist in a library for the municipality in Bloemfontein. She is very vocal about what she says is South Africa's reluctance to confront and deal with disability. She feels that the disabled should be guaranteed employment, as many are not working. She also feels that the people she works with don't have a concept of her condition and the impact it makes on her ablility to live a normal life.
"Sometimes they will ask me to get something at the top of the shelf", she laughs. What's worse is the other extreme, people assuming that she can't do anything.
"I'm married, I drive a car, and that's why I'm here. I want to spread the message that people like me can do anything." Except the shelf thing.
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PHOTOS BY LISA KING