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Oh, the wonders people with disabilities can do!
2007-11-27 15:00:52
By Editor
Legendary Morris Nyunyusa, whose spellbinding ten-drum-beating mastery won him accolades at home and electrified the multitudes that witnessed Expo 70 in Japan just under four decades ago, was blind.
Former legislator and human rights activist Mary Kalumuna is also visually impaired but Tanzania`s history would be incomplete without mention of her personal contribution.
One of the greatest traditional musicians ever to have come from Musoma District, who was popularly known only as Nyang’omboli, was blind too. But his impromptu roadside performances were always an instant crowd-puller.
That is only for Tanzania, and it is just three sparkling examples of the many of the miracles people with physical, mental and other disabilities can work. That many of them lived and died poor and that many continue to lead a life of misery is material for some other occasion.
The outside world has had - or has - its own Nyunyusas, Kalumunas and Nyang’ombolis. John Milton, one of Britain’s most outstanding poets, was unsighted. So is American star artiste Stevie Wonder, easily among the world’s most successful.
Suffice it to say that history has an infinite number of examples of people with disabilities having fought hard and long to survive - even prosper.
Hardly any area of specialisation has been too hard or too much for them, be it engineering, fishing, agriculture, manufacturing, sports, academia, high-profile politics and what have you.
For instance, a camp in Mara Region’s Rorya District for people who have lost some or parts of their limbs to leprosy was once one of the most reliable small-scale sources of fish on the Tanzanian side of the Lake Victoria zone.
Residents of the camp refused to allow stigmatisation to throw them into despondency and their resolve paid off.
This last weekend a special luncheon was held in Dar es Salaam at which society was yet again told of the urgency and seriousness with which the plight of people with disabilities ought to be addressed.
Inspiringly, it was mainly people with disabilities themselves who voiced their views at the function, and they were not begging for mercy drops or showers of compassion.
They only wanted society to remember that disability is not synonymous with inability and that, while many times people with special needs are reminded of what they cannot do, it would be a lot more positive and constructive for them to be reminded of what they can do.
For even people with disabilities can conquer mountains as high as the Kilimanjaro; in fact, many have done so. The Paralympics also showcase the miracles human ingenuity can help people with disabilities perform.
The weekend luncheon was held to mark the International Day for people with Disabilities and hosted by Wezesha (the Kiswahili for enable). This is a project aimed at fostering the rights of people with disabilities.
In line with this year’s theme for the Day, `Decent Work for People with Disabilities`, society must unlock the doors and windows for these people through deliberate affirmative action in employment and other areas.
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