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Disability
is not Inability |
:: Freedom to express
disability.
Even in so-called developed countries, the media with all the
leadership in self regulation frameworks, has not expanded the
definitions of the freedom of expression to include the freedom
to express disability. Apart from the unique efforts of BBC (a
public media), Europe where mothers of democracy live and conventions
are stronger than documented constitutions, the media has only
just began to recognise the freedom to live with a disability
less than five years ago!.
The freedom to express colour has been won only
recently, but the world has been unfair to the disability community.
Prof. Mazrui says the wars of the 21th century are wars of culture.
The culture that comes with disability is one such that the world
has refused to include in its definition of democracy. The dominion
of the culture perpetuated by the non-disabled people on persons
with disability must be resisted starting with the media.
The media in Africa is yet to prove to us the disability community,
that self regulation is the best form of media regulation. Where
is a country whose media has looked at disability as an expression
of an independent constituency free to express itself in the manner
it is.
Just like colour, the body and its various forms
are expressions we should be free to express. Prof Ngugi wa Thio’ngo
says that language identity is the beginning of true freedom.
Just like language, the various languages with which we persons
living with disabilities use are simply cultural identities expressing
the diversity of humanity. Yet the media, from advertisements,
to film, news and fiction, have pursued an agenda against the
body and its various expressions in a manner that extensively
destroyed generations of livelihoods.
It was like new birth to read in the Sunday Nation
June 10th 2007, that the Annual Kenya Music festival has introduced
sign language as new category where deaf student will showcase
their talents. The media recognition of cultural expression in
languages of disability is the dawn of empowerment, which we hope
will now follow.
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