A VIRAL VIDEO shows that prison does not have to be a harsh place for prisoners. It can also serve as a reminder to us that the inmates are also human beings like us who deserve to be treated with kindness.
The TikTok video by Ferdinand Malambae (@makangbaju23) depicted him celebrating an inmate’s birthday, as part of his mission to “humanise humans”.
At the start of the video, Ferdinand can be seen entering the prison and proceeded to ask an inmate named Boyok whether he spoke ill of him behind his back as an attempt to prank him.
Boyok defended himself and told Ferdinand to ask the other inmates whether he did such a thing but since it was a staged prank, the other prisoners played along at the prison guard’s request and told on the 20-year-old inmate.
Ferdinand then asked Boyok if it was his birthday, to which he confirmed that it was and in a heartwarming twist, everyone in the room started to sing “Happy Birthday”, rendering him tearful during the touching moment.
While the birthday celebration commenced, Ferdinand stuck a candle on top of several pizza boxes and told the inmate to make a wish.
“What do you hope for?” Ferdinand asked.
“I hope to truly repent,” the inmate replied.
After the inmate blew the candle, Ferdinand handed the pizza boxes to the inmates in each cell in the room.
Ferdinand concluded in the moving video that “humanising humans” is a duty we have to fulfil, adding that people should be treated with kindness and respect as they are humans, just like the rest of us.
The young prison guard’s deed was praised by netizens who were moved by his generous and considerate spirit in celebrating a prisoner’s birthday.
Others also commented that Ferdinand’s goodwill will be remembered by the inmate for many years to come.
As there is a stigma against those who did or are doing time in prison, people like Ferdinand work to break the glass ceiling and show us that prisoners deserve to be treated humanely despite their criminal pasts.
