Abuja: Persons With Disability Showcase Struggles At Children Carnival

A group of Persons With Disability (PWD) in Abuja has called attention to their plights and struggles through the use of creative art, telling their stories as they demand inclusivity from government and society at large.

The demand was made during the children carnival organised by Onyix Art showcased through cultural dance, funfair, painting and crafts,during the weekend.

The Creative Director of Potter's Gallery Initiative and Cultural Manager for the carnival, Donald Unanka stated that PWDs are making concerted efforts to bring to limelight the challenges they face by telling their stories as it effects them using creative arts. 

Unanka said the initiative is to ensure that the project or the carnival is organised such that stakeholders in the arts and creative industry, government and society get notice of what the PWDs are doing. 

"We live in a world where if you cannot tell your story, somebody will help you do that.

"And when they do it, you run the dangers of having a one-sided story. 

"It is our duty to ensure that we tell accurate stories of persons with disabilities using the arts and the creative industry.

"That is part of the reason why we are organising this carnival.

"You agree with me that Nigeria has a thriving act on creative industry ecosystem.

"Our Nollywood right now is second in the world in terms of production size and capacity to create jobs and contribute to the country's GDP."

On her part, the Convener, Chief Executive Director Onyix Art Onyebe Ella disclosed that the carnival was carried out in a bid to demand inclusivity, adding the government need to do more for PWDs.

"I know the challenges Persons With Disability go through because I am a person with disability.

"So because of that, I have decided to stand for them to be able to bring them together and create an awareness and also to take off the stigma of belittling them.

"We want everybody to be united. We want all the children to know about other children with disabilities.

"So, we are doing it for all children because children with disabilities need to get access to other children, be able to communicate with them and be comfortable around them."

She called on the government to put more focus on persons with disability.

"We need to get them educated, be happy and feel better about things in the society and the people around us.

"I think they are trying but that's not good enough.

"We want them to really focus on Persons With Disability, that children also know that they are going to have a brighter future by a government that can make it work."