WHITE SHOCK: Pierre says his burns made him look “Caucasian”—and jokes about skin bleaching.

When Pierre Kuma finally looked at himself after surviving devastating burns, the man staring back in the mirror was almost unrecognisable. The flames had stripped away so much of his skin’s natural pigmentation that, in his own words, he “looked Caucasian.”

The observation came not with bitterness, but with the dry humour that has helped him survive one of the darkest chapters of his life.

Speaking to broadcaster Kafui Dey, the engineer, author and burn survivor described the severe injuries he suffered after a gas explosion engulfed his body.

His face was among the areas badly burned.

“I have a picture. I can show it to you later,” he said. “When you see it… I looked Caucasian then.”

For many burn survivors, changes in skin colour can become lasting reminders of trauma. In Pierre’s case, the damage dramatically altered his appearance during his recovery, leaving him looking like someone he barely recognised.

Yet instead of dwelling on the shock, he reached for humour.

“For the people who bleach their skin,” he joked, “I have a simple way. You can come and see me. I’ll show you a better way.”

The remark drew laughter, but it also revealed something deeper about the man behind the scars.

Rather than allowing his injuries to define him, Pierre has learned to confront painful memories with honesty—and, when he can, with humour.

His ability to laugh at what nearly killed him has become one of the ways he reclaims ownership of his story.

Behind the joke, however, is the reality of catastrophic burns that permanently changed his skin, required multiple surgeries and left lifelong scars across his body.

Today, Pierre no longer hides those scars. He speaks openly about them because he hopes others facing physical or emotional wounds will see that survival is possible.