In Manisa, 82-year-old visually impaired Raif Kurt continues to travel alone between the district center and his rural home on the back of his donkey.
Born in Bulgaria in 1943 with a genetic vision impairment, Kurt migrated with his family to the Salihli district of Manisa in 1951. He completely lost his sight at the age of 20, yet managed to sustain himself for decades by working as a shepherd and agricultural laborer.
Living a largely solitary life, Kurt strives to handle his daily tasks independently. For more than 60 years, his greatest support has been his donkeys.
A 24-year companionship with “Magare”
Having relied on two donkeys throughout his life, Kurt has spent the past 24 years accompanied by the one he named “Magare,” which means “donkey” in Bulgarian.
After Kurt adopted him, “Magare” received guided training for a period of time and now enables Kurt to travel on his own between his home in Kurtuluş neighborhood and his farm house in the Karaağaç area.
“We trained the donkey”
Kurt said his father suffered great hardships in Bulgaria before the family left everything behind and started life from scratch in Salihli. He explained that he worked under difficult conditions to survive:
“There isn’t a place in these mountains where I haven’t set foot. While herding goats, my eyesight began to fade. The goats would approach the cliffs, and I couldn’t pull them back. I fell off cliffs five times, but I survived. It seems we were meant to live to this age.”
Emphasizing the important role his donkey plays in his life, Kurt said:
“My donkey has become my eyes and ears. Without him, I couldn’t go anywhere. We trained the donkey. First, I found a child who took him back and forth for a month. Then the donkey learned on his own and started carrying me. He knows all the routes. Sometimes dogs attack the donkey and when it runs, I fall off. My shoulders ache.”
Kurt, who has never married, said he manages his daily chores by himself. Kerem Al, a shopkeeper in the district, said they support Kurt with his daily needs.
Al added that he and Kurt have developed a father-son bond over time:
“The donkey is his hands and feet. It knows the route. For example, once he leaves his house in Kurtuluş, the donkey walks him straight here.”
