Mwanaharusi Rashid, a form one student living with albinism, recited a Kiswahili poem on people living with disabilities, it was brief but instructive.
The poem was delivered in a post-event to mark International Albinism Awareness Day in Chewani Primary School, Galole constituency.
She thrilled the audience with the poem that stressed education and election, urging voters not to discriminate against persons living with disabilities when voting.
“Isolating the disabled is a curse and a shame even if you have the power, taking care of them is a responsibility, these people are smart in reading and mathematics, let’s love the disabled and give them their rights, ’’ she recited in one of the stanzas.
The budding poet is the second born in a family of five children, three of them living with albinism were born consecutively.
Their mother, Mwanajuma Rashid said traditional midwives escaped leaving her alone in the delivery room after they saw a newborn with albinism.
“My mother called them back and told them not to run away as someone else in the neighbouring village had also given birth to an albinism child,” she narrated.
She faced stigmatization from her community in Chewani village. “They wanted to separate me saying I gave birth to a devil, I did not care even though I felt bad, now she is grown-up and in form one.”
When she gave birth to her two other children with albinism the community had become accustomed to the condition.
Drawing inspiration from Appellate Court Justice Mumbi Ngugi, she urged parents with children living with albinism not to succumb to stigmatization by society but to educate them.
