(By Pilate Ngoma, The Times of Zambia, Ndola, 15
April 2008)
THE name Magwero to many people in Eastern Province
has been misconstrued as a place where people synonymous
with different disabilities live and attain their special
education.
This misapprehension has persisted in the minds of
many for a long time especially about Magwero school for
the blind and deaf in Chipata, Eastern Province.
However, recent visitations to Magwero have proved
wrong many assertions about the school because the
visually impaired school boys and girls at the Reformed
Church in Zambia (RCZ) mission are full of eagerness,
hope, promise, creativity and more interestingly very
able to take up the tasks the so called able bodied are
able to handle.
"Disability is not inability" so goes the old adage
which defines the challenges faced by people with
disabilities all over the world regardless of their
colour, race or creed.
People with disabilities all over in the world
including those at Magwero have and possess rare talents
which should be harnessed and supported by the able
-bodied people by forging strong partnerships with their
brothers and sisters in such conditions brought about not
of their own will but by the will of God.
Magwero school for the blind has a band composed of 18
members and has just released a 10 track debut album
entitled, 'Magwero' , a typical example of the misplaced
word disabled.
The song Magwero which means the beginning, has rhumba
-gospel lyrics sang in Bemba and was composed by,
Mekelani Sakala , a grade 9 pupil who is the band's bass
guitarist.
The song urges or is asking the people of Zambia to
praise God for he is the owner of everything.
The band which has 10 boys and eight girls, all of
whom are visually impaired, is a marvel to watch on
Tuesday afternoons from 14.30 hours to 16.00 hours as
they go about belting out their newly released hits and
heart rending songs.
The follow up number at position two and others at
seven, eight and ten were composed by, Brian Siame, a
visually impaired teacher at the same school.
Siame penned down Anthu a mu Zambia tili pamodzi a
Kalindula tune, Nivichani ivi vimene nimvela which has an
R & B touch, AIDS ilibe sankho and Freedom for Africa
.
The band's chairman, John Phiri, a grade 10 pupil says
the album was directed by Tadeo Phiri, another visually
impaired teacher and pastor who is the band's patron.
Phiri told the Times that it was very difficult to
produce the album because they used dry guitars.
Two other songs Africa my motherland and Tilimbike in
the album were written by former Magwero school retired
teacher, Noah Mwale, who has now settled down in his home
town of Lundazi .
Africa my motherland, has a South African beat and in
the song the band is asking African countries to be
united for peace and development.
The rest of the songs are The Devil is a Gong'a,
Mwanawasa musogoleri wa chitukuko and Ineumoyo wanga
umayopa Mulungu completing the album.
The Devil is a Gong'a was written by James Mwale a
grade 12 pupil while the song that has been dedicated to
Dr Mwanawasa was written by Jairos Tembo a former pupil
at the school and now living in Lusaka .
Magwero school, established in 1903 by the Dutch
Reformed Church is one of the first schools in Central
Africa for the blind.
School head teacher, Mastoni Shawa, who has rendered a
lot of moral and material support to the band described
the album's release which was directed by Tadeo Phiri, as
a dream come true for the band.
Mr Shawa said he felt proud because the moral and
spiritual support he rendered to the band had finally
yielded results and was now appealing to President
Mwanawasa and well-wishers to help the band to put the
music on CDs as well as audio tapes.
The headteacher's sentiments were echoed by the band's
chairperson John Phiri, a grade 10 pupil who is visually
impaired.
"My special appeal goes to Dr Mwanawasa, business
houses and well-wishers and individuals to help us
produce CDs and audio tapes so that the music can be on
the market.
We are asking those who would like to assist us,
Magwero school for the blind band raise K45 million
required to produce CDs and tapes of this album to come
and God will reward them richly," Phiri said.
He said the visually impaired at Magwero have
identified their talent and it was for this reason that
they have decided to direct their energies and time
towards that direction so that they could as well use
this talent in future as a career depending on how they
perform academically.
Source: http://allafrica.com/stories
