Nigerian singer and music producer Cobhams Asuquo has opened up about his life as a visually impaired artiste, sharing how his condition has influenced his career and mindset.
In a recent interview with Hip TV, shared on YouTube Thursday, Cobhams encouraged people living with disabilities to accept their reality and find strength in it.
He explained that his blindness motivates him to work much harder than others. “My awareness of myself as a blind person makes me work five times as hard [as others],” he said, emphasising the stereotypes people often have about blindness.
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“Because I realised that there is a stereotype around a blind person and the general assumption is that you are incapable. And because of that, I work hard to show that I can be capable of so many things.”
He went on to address the importance of acknowledging one’s condition honestly, rather than avoiding it with euphemisms or denial.
“I think it’s totally okay to be blind. Secondly, for all intents and purposes, I think the world has just gone soft to a certain degree. And that’s fine. I think it’s okay to be sensitive. But I think it’s also okay to identify where you are and what you are dealing with so that you are not living in denial and looking for all kinds of euphemistic ways and names to call it. Call it what it is. Deal with it for what it is and ensure your strength through your disability as opposed to all these very interesting names.”
Cobhams shared his personal perspective on his blindness, rejecting the softer term “visually impaired” because he sees impairment as a partial weakness rather than a total loss.
“I’m comfortable with being blind. Sometimes, we say impaired and I think impaired is great. My understanding of an impairment is that it’s weakness, it’s not a complete absence of something. So, if you are impaired, you are either weakened or unable to fully function in that capability. I’m not visually impaired, I don’t have a little bit of vision. I’m completely blind, I can’t see a thing. And that’s totally alright. I’m good with it.”
He also revealed that he approaches his blindness with humor and acceptance.
“As a matter of fact, there’s some dark humour around it sometimes and I’m totally good with that. That is who I am. And I embrace it. I think it makes it even more special that I have been able to live the life that I’ve lived and I’ve been able to do the things that I’ve done.”
Through his openness, Cobhams Asuquo continues to inspire many by demonstrating that blindness does not define one’s capabilities or limit what they can achieve.
Watch him speak below…
