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Experience with a blind oarsman
By
Our Reporter - 22-10-2002 |
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Ever been a passenger in a minibus driven by a blind man? A team of reporters and Malawi Council for the Handicapped (Macoha) officials who were on a field trip recently were passengers on a blind oarsman’s boat that operates in the Shire River between Balaka and Zomba. As Our Reporter who accompanied them writes, theirs was a lifetime experience
When we reached the dock—a muddy ground with some water plant growths on both sides and a one-way stretch of stagnant water not more than five metres deep, there was no sign of any boat around.
A woman who was somewhere in what could best be described as a small island along the Shire signalled an oarsman on the other side of the river. None of us heard what she said because it was a shout that went like a whistle. We later learned that, that was the mode of communication for the water people.
Minutes later, a huge wooden boat swam into view. First to be seen was a long stick about seven metres long, locally known as mponda (paddle). Then the voice of passengers, many of whom were women with babies on their backs and hoes on one hand and bundles of firewood on the other.
The one manning the boat, a medium height man with well developed biceps, smiled when he heard us talking on the dock. His assistant, a Standard Four boy Mbwana Akileni, 15, kept saying “right, left, forward” until the engineless vessel finally rested on the shallow waters.
The assistant dashed out and later followed the oarsman. It was then that we noticed that the oarsman was blind. Completely blind. He wore a white long-sleeved shirt with purple stripes. His pair of trousers was rolled to the knees and his feet were bare. We learned later that his name was Rajab Akileni, an elder brother to Mbwana.
Ask him how he manages to cross the Shire when he does not see his destination, you will be surprised.
“My father who is now old used to do it. Since I have grown up here with my parents, I took over from my old man. I started boat riding when I was very young. I have grown up in the waters of this river. You can imagine, my father started this work in 1971,” he said as he received his dues from the disembarking passengers.
The women were giving him K2 each. That is what he charges for a single trip across the river.
Rajab was not born blind according to his mother Aidesi Foloko.
“He lost sight when he was five years. It all started with an open bowl then the blindness. Hard to believe. But because I knew he would grow into a man, I never used his situation to treat him any different from the rest of the children.
“I used to let him walk without a stick and sometimes took him to the garden and people thought I was being harsh to him,” she said, adding that she did not want him to be like the other blind she sees.
Rajab smiled and added: “I can also hoe. Maybe more than some of you!”
There was some quietness for some time until he suddenly, as if he was day-dreaming, said: “Ready for a ride to Balaka?”
With the help of Mbwana, Rajab pushed the boat through the narrow passage with difficulties. If you looked at his arms, you could appreciate his well built biceps.
“This is work for men. But I want more than this,” he said as he entered the waters of the Shire.
How Rajab acquired this boat is what many should appreciate.
“I could not afford this boat if it were not for the assistance of the Malawi Council for the Handicapped (Macoha). That time it was costing K11,000 and I only managed to raise K5,000. Macoha gave me the other K6,000 as a loan.”
While still in the water moving at a deadslow speed, Rajab frightened his passengers by telling them stories of aquatic life. He talked of crocodiles and hippos saying they were a common sight.
It was also frightening to see some women giving their children water from the river to drink. They claimed it was safe.
“We have been drinking this water and we do not fall sick,” one woman said.
At this moment we realised we were on the other side of the Shire—we were in Zomba. We discovered here that people from across the river have gardens on this other side.
“We board this boat in the morning and in the evening every day, “ said one woman.
From this tiresome, challenging and risky job Rajab hardly makes more than K100 in a day.
“Normally I go home with something like K60 or K70. In very rare occasions I make K100, but nothing more than that,” he said adding that he is working to serve people.
“I left the village and I live just here in that shade. I don’t want to miss customers who work at the boma,” Rajab said pointing at a grass structure on the shore of the river.
He says many people like him because he is friendly and ever since he started this business, he has never been involved in an accident.
“Competition here is there because I am not the only person ferrying people across the river. But each one of us uses their own passages. For example, this dock is mine. I created it and everyone has his or her own dock,” he said.
Rajab continued to say that if God allows he will buy a bigger boat and has intentions to open another dock.
“This one carries 24 passengers and up to 35 bags of load. I am, however, thinking of buying another one so that I have two,” he said.
According to him, his main customers are farmers and those who work at Machinga and Liwonde.
“Business is at its peak in the morning and in the afternoon. Otherwise in between I just carry one or two people from either side,” he said.
Macoha Public Relations Officer Erick Mcheka described Rajab as a hardworking man.
“When he was approached by Macoha we found him ably working in his garden but he said he wanted something more than that. He came up with the idea to own a boat and Macoha came in to assist,” said Mcheka who was also part of the visiting team that went to see Rajab.
Mcheka said Macoha helps people with untreatable blindness with loans and skills become productive citizens.
“It just shows that blind people can do anything. Here is a man who lost sight but is able to lead those with sight. It is quite interesting. I think communities now realise that disability is not inability,” Mcheka said.
Although rajab said he will forever work as an oarsman, his assistant Mbwana vows never to do it after school.
“I am just doing it today because he sometimes needs assistance. But when I finish my school I want to work for a big company as a manager,” said Mbwana.
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