Blind aspiration: here’s why (and how) you should get involved!

Recently I’ve found that I get super inspired when I read/watch people who are doing great things despite peculiar circumstances. First it was the Maysoon Zayid video and the story of how she’s done pretty much everything she’s wanted to do, despite cerebral palsy.

Beyond the inspiration, it’s a stark reminder of how grateful I am (and should be) for the mercies I have received, and a motivation to not only use what I’ve got even more judiciously, but also to think and act more kindly towards others every chance I get.

On to the inspiration for the day! I was invited to watch a video of a man who has a PhD in law. He has represented people in court (duh), plays the piano, and is blind. Why did I leave what seems like a pretty important detail to the end? Why wasn’t his blindness the first thing I mentioned?

Well simply because Dr Ife Akintunde doesn’t see blindness as a disability. He believes that “everyone on earth has to meet challenges or their spirits will die”. He says we all have little challenges we have to surmount to succeed (or fail) in life and being unable to see from birth is his. Simple.

Ready to watch the rest of it yourself? Go on then!

Soon after I saw the video you’ve just seen, I was introduced to Sorbarikor Lebura, the brain/producer behind that documentary (directed by Dapo Oshinaike). Sorbarikor is a Nigerian, passionate about telling the stories of people living with different disabilities and has the long term dream of influencing policies in Nigeria that will  make the circumstances, living conditions, and accessibility of these people a lot better than what it is at the moment.

I decided to be a part of telling those stories, and can very proudly announce that this documentary has been shortlisted in AfriNolly’s Short Film Competition. The winning entries for film and documentary receive $25, 000 which will go a long way in getting this project/charity off the ground.

We just need you to vote! How do you do that?

1. Go here – Afrinolly Short Film Competition

2. It’ll ask you to sign in via Facebook or Google Plus (I’ve checked it a couple times now and it doesn’t save your login data. So that’s not a worry.

3. Click on vote for documentary

4. Blind aspiration should be on the bottom left corner. If it’s not, it’s on the page sha.

Vote o!! ‘Pless’ your hand on the ‘umblerra’ (You have to be Nigerian to understand that). Seriously sha, vote! Thank you!

If you’re interested in volunteering with this project in any way, and have ideas on how Sorbarikor and the rest of his team can move forward with this, please leave a comment and I’ll make sure he comes on to respond.

Thank you, and enjoy the rest of your week!