"Don't ask yourself what
the world needs; ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do
that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.
"Howard Washington Thurman
Hello
People!
So I first met Mr. Ugo [as well all in the Albinism Advocacy circles call me] in November
2016, at an evident Onome Okagbare made me attend. Funny enough it was the
first time I would meet Onome , and then I met the amazing team; Sussy the
taster, Daniel the researcher, Ejike the Barrister, Seyi the creative genius
and of course, Esther my Albi crush [I hope she never gets to read this].
So back to the gist, this young
man is an embodiment of intelligence, creativity and has a great skill when it
comes to project management. We had a conversation and I decided to share this
with you on why he is the way he is.
I hope you find his story
interesting and that you come to appreciate the nation of the Albino child or
the Persons with Albinism [someone once said it is for the sake of political
correctness].
Here we go, but before then, this is not a pity party!!!
OjisiEmezie
Early
Beginnings, Early Awareness
I was born to a young couple
from Isuikwuato in Abia State, south east Nigeria oblivious of my skin colour
and environment. I could not have imagined the feelings my parents,
especially my mum had on my arrival as I am their first child. I could
remember going through school and having to deal with adjusting to classroom
activities. I became a 'guinea pig ' as it concerned finding solution to my
sight issue; but as a child, all these didn't matter much to me. After me came four other siblings (three out
of them have albinism).
Oh yes! I also live with albinism.
In my growing up days, awareness
about albinism wasn't widespread especially among us Africans (still work in
progress though). As a young lad, I started getting conscious of my skin
colour when I heard my peers sing the popular 'oyibo pepper' song. Even
at that it still didn't move me. Then came the rude awakening; in my form
2 in secondary school, as it was called then, I started getting
derogatory comments from my classmates about my eye movement (nystagmus).
Wow! So I had this all this while, I thought to myself.
That was the beginning of myself consciousness.
The
battle of the Self
Throughout my teenage years, I
dealt with self esteem issues, I was very sensitive to people around me.
My ears would hear the faintest whispers about me. I was quick to
let go of, in my opinion, undeserving friends. But in all these, I
found solace at the comfort of my home and family.
Finding
my Essence, sharing my Flavor
My service year was quite
memorable. This was where I discovered my true identity and found my
essence. I was given the responsibility of impacting knowledge on
secondary school students in sleepy town of Idanre, home to the famous Idanre Hills in Ondo state. Simply put, I was a “Corper
Teacher” [a term used in describing serving Corps Mmbers whos primary duty was
teaching. I derived joy and satisfaction whilst at it. My self esteem rose to
the skies; I became a 'go to ' person for counseling and a role model to
many others. I was surrounded by worthy friends who made remarkable impact in
my life. I still keep in touch with some of them till date. Post N.Y.S.C, found
me in Abuja for work. My standard was set high and I wasn't ready to
short change myself. Your attitude to yourself determines what you dish
out to others.
Growing
In Love with Yourself
From my over four decades
experience, life has taught me that self love is the ultimate. As is
the case with many people living with albinism, low self esteem has become a
major concern. I tell you, as someone in your community, that you are
beautiful in your skin. Your soul, created in God's image, is beautiful.
There is nothing like ALBINO SOUL. I encourage you, especially my young
friends, to endeavor to LOVE yourselves because love radiates from within you
to the rest of the world. According to Lucille Ball, “Love yourself first and
everything else falls into line. You really have to love yourself to get
anything done in this world". I love this quote from Brigham Young, "Why
should we worry about what others think of us, do we have more confidence in
their opinions than we do our own?”
Right now, I live my dream of
serving humanity and carrying out my passion of logistics. The Onome Akinlolu
Majaro, OAM Foundation is my God given platform.
Final
Words
The term 'Albinism 'is not and
should not be considered a derogatory word. It is what it is, partial or total
absence of melanin responsible for pigmentation. It does not make you less
intelligent than you would have been. Whatever you set your mind to achieve,
please follow it through putting into consideration any possible health hazard.
My dear friends, I leave you with this quote from Howard Washington Thurman, "Don't
ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And
then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come
alive."
I wish you all a life filled
with self love and positive impact on humanity.
GOD BLESS YOU.
Ugochukwu Gilbert Orji. -
Facebook.
@yugogilbert -
Instagram.
@ugo_gilbert - twitter.
#BeyondTheComplexion #Albinism
#AlbinismAwareness #OAMFoundation #Albinism_Not_Disability #ThisIsMyStory #NoMelanin
1 comments
I would always always love this piece.especially this quote. It sums it all up perfectly.
ReplyDeleteDon't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go and do that. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive."
Stay strong