Memory Box: The toy tiger

Outlook's Memory Box is a place to keep treasured objects that connect us to our pasts. Each day our guest will tell us the story of how the item came to be special, even though it might look perfectly ordinary to the rest of us.

This toy tiger 'Tigrou' fits in the palm of your hand and belongs to Amina Anna Sotaeva who grew up on the border of Chechnya. The tiger was a gift from her favourite uncle on her sixth birthday. Not long afterwards he was kidnapped for ransom and, faced with an increasingly lawless situation in Chechnya, the family fled their home for a new life in Paris. Amina took her little tiger with her and it became her most treasured possession. But then, when she was 27 and studying for important law exams, Amina realised with horror that her little tiger had fallen out of the pocket of her bag. She went on a desperate quest across Paris to find him.

Presenter: Jo Fidgen
Producer: Jo Impey

If you have a story for our memory box about an object with great personal significance, please get in touch! Email [email protected] or WhatsApp +44 330 678 2707

(Photo: Tigrou, the toy tiger; Credit: Albert Facelly)