For this year's Kultursymposium <<A Matter of Trust>>, we performed the play, "The Gods Are Strange" by Bukola Ayinde, in two communities here in Nigeria, namely the Corona Secondary School in Agbara and in Jos at the Jardin reading garden.
The pervasive presumption in Nigeria that people with disabilities lack competence and potential is both unfortunate and destructive. This negative attitude is evident in everyday interactions and even in the media, making it difficult for individuals with disabilities to be trusted for their intellectual, creative, physical, and other abilities. And given the context of difference, it's not hard to imagine that this projected lack of trust can make it even more challenging for individuals with disabilities to trust themselves. A recent study conducted by the World Bank shows that on average, 7% of household members over the age of five in Nigeria live with a disability (seeing, hearing, communication, cognition, walking, or self-care); and people with disabilities are more likely to face extreme poverty.1 This statistical reality corroborates the real-life disenfranchisement being experienced by many Nigerians with disabilities.
Our Head of Library and Information, Georges Gambadatoun, who leads this year's Kultursymposium project, has been moved to confront this societal issue by staging The Gods Are Strange.
