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| Deogratias Chami (29) a student from Moshi who ascended Mt Kilimanjaro to Uhuru peak recently with a group of blind people from France. |
In
an effort to battle the stigma and prejudice against ‘special groups’
including people with disabilities in Africa, Deogratias Chami (29), a
student with disability from Moshi who ascended Mount Kilimanjaro
recently with a group of blind people from France to the highest peak of
the ‘snow capped’ mountain-Uhuru Peak (5,895m above the Sea level) in a
‘wheel chair’ to holler for their rights on behalf of his fellows.
Speaking with ‘The Guardian’ in an exclusive interview at the
Marangu gate after ascending Mt. Kilimanjaro recently, Chami who was
assisted by the tour guides under the leadership of Abel Beimoja, a
Chief Tour Guide with Nordic Tourism Company said that, he has decided
to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and managed to reach the highest Summit of
Africa (Uhuru Peak) to show the people of Tanzania and in Africa in
general that people with disabilities can do what other people can do
regardless their disabilities.
“The main things which makes me seek to conquer Mt. Kilimanjaro
though it is a tough task is to show the people in the society that we
can what other people can; and to provide education to them as a
sustainable way to keep people with disabilities particularly children
safe and improve their lives and I proud that I’m the Tanzanian to reach
Uhuru peak in a wheel chair.” he explained.
Chami recalls that, it was around 11:30 a.m. on January 29, 2014
after a breath taking 2 and half hour slow walk from Stellar Point that
he managed to reach Uhuru Peak, 5,895 metres, above sea level.
“For some seconds I faced different tough challenges including
strong sunrises and I was about to fall down on the rocks due to the low
vision and skin weakness, then some 15 minutes later I made it!!!” he
clarified.
He recollected that was the culmination of “our six day Mt.
Kilimanjaro climb” through the famous route of Marangu that to him still
seems like a dream.
“Reaching Uhuru peak was a dream come true but the actual climb is a
long episode that ones need to grow old first to forget,” he noted.
He appealed Tanzania and Africa societies not to discriminate
people with disabilities in the society including albinos to climb Mt.
Kilimanjaro, adding if they decide they can make it.
Narrating his long journey to of Mt. Kilimanjaro climb in a wheel
chair, Chami explained that, “Despite what many would call a disability,
I have never met a group of more enthusiastic and able people with a
distinctive; and irrespective of what most people would call an
inability to lead a normal everyday life, they are happy to sit and talk
to me.”
According to Chami, a group of ten people three blind , one deaf
blind, a paraplegic and guides managed to achieve the feat of climbing
Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest in Africa, a feat feared and found
difficult by most physically able people which thus remains a dream for
them and yet this group of people beat the odds and reached the top.
“This adventure was special because Joseph Ramonte is the first
deaf-blind person to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro and my self in a wheelchair,”
he explained.
Speaking to ‘The Guardian through his interpreter Jeremy, Joseph a
rather charming man who became blind at thirty says before he was only
involved in adventures when he was deaf.
ARAM (Regional Association for Blind and Visually Impaired Persons)
approached him. “He enjoyed climbing, it was a great adventure in a
different environment, of course he cannot see but I described
everything to him,” Jeremy tells me.
Deaf-blindness is a very difficult disability because it involves
tactile sign language and this makes everything more difficult. During
trekking unlike the rest who can be warned by their guides, Joseph had
to hang onto Jeremy’s backpack and it was difficult to concentrate.
Jeremy thus had to act as both a guide and interpreter.
“Guides are wonderful, they are our windows and our relationship is
an exchange of knowledge, they describe everything for us and it is
always sensational not just static,” Jean- Christian says.
Even though it was a difficult task, all reached the summit and
most reached the top. “We were unaccustomed to the difficulty but the
psychological background was strong since everyone was determined to
climb,” Jeremy says.
Jean- Christian, the leader of the group is a distinguished-looking
man with a certain allure. He talks to me about ARAM, which was founded
in 2006 in Paris, France. It has three hundred members with about
eighty who are not blind. The organisation hopes to grow.
This organisation focuses on helping blind people to get through
everyday life, gives them tools to work so that they understand that
not only are they equal to normal people, they can also work better if
they try. ARAM has workshops for blind people to carry out activities
that help them to realize their personalities and see beyond their
disability, which helps them have a better life.
At these workshops, they learn to draw with computers, play music
and create sculptures. Some of these workshops are sports-based. ARAM
works with Zanzibar Natural Association of the Blind (ZANABA), and one
major activity is making white sticks made of bamboo. This ‘African
white stick’ is more suitable to tropical African climate. ARAM hopes
Zanzibar can make these sticks for all of Africa.
The European Association of Blind Pilots of which Jean-Christian, a
pilot is a member created a small computer that enables blind pilots to
fly using an intercom. “It is almost the same as how a normal pilot
would see while flying at night, “he cheekily adds.
Jeremy tells me that they were able to climb using the French motto
of Liberty, Equality and Solidarity. Liberty because they were free to
take the adventure, Equality because it is not the disabled who fell
sick during the trek and Solidarity because altogether they were able to
reach the summit.
“Tanzanian people are warm, they let me touch their faces so I can
get a description, they are curious and don’t find it disturbing,”
Joseph excitedly signs to Jeremy. Jean-Christian adds that although at
first the Tanzanians found it strange that they wanted to go on the
adventure, they eventually understood.
Jean-Christian concludes saying that this adventure was a message
to employers in France and worldwide because the blind achieved this
feat, meaning the blind can be employed and get salaries as long as they
are competent. They hope this proves that skills are more important
than a person is. This was merely a first in a series of projects to
help blind people all over the world.
For his part, Chief Park Warden for the Kilimanjaro National Park
(KINAPA), Erastus Lufungulo explained that, he is very glad to have such
a group which he believes that will promote Mt. Kilimanjaro tourism
locally and globally in general.
“My appeal to my fellow Tanzanians is to have the tendency of
visiting tourism destination in our country, hence enhancing the
development of local tourism as everyone can do that if decided..” he
pointed out.
SOURCE:
THE GUARDIAN
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