After the tripod was set, the photographer checked the angles to
ensure the 'balance' was good. She then felt the buttons on the
camera. Then, she looked into the lens. Camera. Ready. Action!
You may consider this the ordinary routine of a photographer.
Yes it is. But, what makes it extraordinary is that Taiwo Lawal,
the photographer, is totally blind.
Lawal, 35, felt her way round the tripod to our correspondent
and explained with a smile, "At the start, I kept wondering how
a blind person could learn photography. I thought it was
impossible. But the person who introduced me to it said it was
possible. So, I agreed to do it."
She gave her consent to learn the art of photography two years
ago. Now, Lawal takes photographs like someone that is not
blind.
She continued: "I've learnt a lot about the lens of a camera, the
view finder, LCD screen and so many parts of the camera."
Medical science has stated that blind people tend to show
enhanced ability in the other senses. This probably applies to
Lawal.
Giving an insight into how she is mastering the art of
photography, Lawal said she uses her sense of hearing and
touch to take pictures.
She said, "If I want to take a picture, I would go to where the
person is, and feel his location; then I would communicate with
the person to sense the direction, as the sound of the person tells
me where he or she is.
"Also, if I want to take pictures of nature, I first feel the object
by touching it, then move back and take the picture. When I
touch a flower, for instance, I see the colours in my mind. I can
also tell if someone is happy or sad, because I know it would be
reflected in the picture."
Lawal put her skill to use as she took many shots of our
correspondent and the surroundings.
"Some time ago in Ikeja, someone expressed doubt on the
ability of a blind person to take photographs. Immediately, I
took my camera and demonstrated to him,"she said, laughing.
But does she have an idea of the outcome of the shots she takes?
Lawal, answered, "Whenever I take pictures, I know it would be
beautiful, because I see them in my mind."
Before photography found her, Lawal had learnt some few
trades which included: bead-making and bag-making. These
took her four years.
Her photography has, however, been taking her places.
Recently, she won an award at the International Day of Persons
Living with Disabilites, which held in Port Harcourt, Rivers
State.
"Lawal is the first blind photographer I've ever heard of. She's
an inspiration," said Mrs. Bitebo Gogo, Executive Director,
Keeping It Real Foundation, which organised the event.
Also, last year, Lawal met American Joe McNally, a globally
renowned photographer at a photography exhibition.
"When we discussed, he encouraged me to continue with my
work. I was happy meeting him, because I never thought I
would ever meet such important people. Now, I no longer feel
bad because I do not see. If I were not blind, maybe I wouldn't
have gotten to where I am today," Lawal said, adding that she
wants to pursue a career in photography.
Lawal getting ready to take a picture
"Taking pictures makes me happy. Also, it has helped me forget
my past sorrows, when some people didn't appreciate me and I
endured a lot of insults," she said.
Difficult past
Things had not always been this good for Lawal. Lawal and her
twin sister were born blind. And surviving had been a major
challenge.
Her mother got pregnant after she was raped by a man in a
village in Ondo State. When the man later found out that the
twins were born blind, he absconded.
Taiwo told SUNDAY PUNCH she didn't know him or where he
was, she only knew the circumstances of her birth.
She said, "I am no longer angry with him. I used to be angry
before because he never accepted us as his children."
Growing up in the village was also harrowing for Lawal. She
said she had no clothes and was fed with food that had gone
bad.
She said, "We had no clothes to wear, only panties. People
treated us badly, and sometimes, they threw stones at us. We
were fed five-day-old food. We didn't have any choice then but
to eat it. Now, I can laugh about it because it's in the past."
Lawal has also endured ridicule in public places.
This includes falling into a ditch and people walking past her,
despite knowing she was blind.
For Emmanuel Effiong-Bright, who discovered Lawal in Oshodi,
Lagos, after accepting her request to lead her to the bus park,
she is not only an inspiration, she has shown courage in the face
of adversity.
"She could have gone begging like others but she overcame all
that. Our journey took 25 minutes instead of five minutes. But,
it has been one of the best 25 minutes of the last 25 years of my
life. I saw a blind person who spoke like someone who could
see," Effiong-Bright recollected.
At birth, doctors had given the twins only six years to live. Her
twin sister is now married with two children. "But I don't want
to marry a blind person," Lawal said, laughing.
Today, through the help of people like Effiong-Bright and her
photography instructor, Mr. Seun Akisanmi, Lawal has hope for
a bright future.
Akisanmi, who runs the academy (Elophotos) where Lawal
takes classes thrice weekly, described teaching her as both
challenging and interesting.
He said, "One must be extremely patient. Training her is like
two to three times longer than that of a sighted person. But I'm
also learning from her. I didn't know how sharp her other senses
were, and she always looks happy. She's a bright student, and
has learnt a lot. There are some settings we can't teach her but
she can use auto-mode. She knows enough to do a mini-session
for someone, which is a good start, and she can take good
pictures. If I would put the cost of training so far, it would be
about N500,000."
Effiong-Bright, who said street photography, was Lawal's
specialty, called on individuals and organisations to support her
so she can fend for herself and her seven-year-old daughter.
"Every week, we give her allowances, but we need more support
from individuals and corporate bodies. Also, Lawal's foster
mother, Mrs. Yetunde Adu, has done so much for her and in
taking care of her daughter. With more financial support, more
can be done for her," he said.
Years ago, Lawal dropped out of the Pacelli School of the Blind
in Primary Three because of lack of funds. Now, she said she
would like to go back to school, and also pursue a career in
photography.
Although, there are blind photographers in other developed
parts of the world, Lawal is the first in Nigeria and Africa, noted
Effiong-Bright.
One of them is Pete Eckert, a photographer based in California,
US, who started photography only after going completely blind
in 1980, a year after Lawal was born. "I'm a very visual person.
I just can't see. Sighted photographers always talk about the
difficulty of what they call 'seeing.' I tell them 'If you can't see,
it's because your vision is getting in the way,'" said Eckert, in a
feature by TIME.
Care for the disabled
Lawal's story also brings to light the challenges faced by people
living with disabilities in the country, said Executive Director,
Persons with Disabilities Action Network, Betram Ubaka.
Ubaka, who is also a polio survivor, noted that with the right
social infrastructure, people living with disabilities can have a
better life, as well as discover and harness their potential, just
like Lawal.
"They deserve to have good living like every other Nigerian.
Unfortunately, we have a system and leadership in the country
that is very unserious about the development or care for persons
living with disabilities. More than 95 per cent of the 25.5
million Nigerians with disabilities in Nigeria are living in the
rural areas," he said.
Ubaka also pointed out that Nigeria has not done enough in
meeting the United Nations Convention on the Rights of
Persons with Disabilities, which among other things, states that
"everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth
therein, without distinction of any kind."
Speaking further, Ubaka said society should embrace people
with disabilities and respect their human rights. He said, "There
is no pro-active response by the society to accommodate their
social needs, such as good education and health-care facilities,
even the road networks and public places don't have structures
to accommodate them. There needs to be more care for such
persons, and more awareness that living with disability is not
inability."
Culled : punchng
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