Bamako, Mari (AP) – Amadou ndiaye carefully fingered the bumps in the paper, realizing a world he could no longer see.
It has been 200 years since the invention of Braille, a tactile writing system that changed the lives of many people. Blind and partially sighted people By providing a path to literacy and independence.
“Braille has helped me live my life,” he said. Mari People who lost their vision as a child. “People used to ask questions.
A West African country with a population of over 20 million has long struggled to integrate blind and partially witnessed people. Approximately 170,000 people in Mali are thought to be blind, according to Eye Care Charity Sightsavers.
Ndiaye, 47, was lucky enough to attend the Institute of Blinds in Mali, where he learned to write in Braille and said, “Really, I can do everything else that other people can do, too.” He later went to college.
He said that Braille developed his main passion and allowed him to play the guitar. This also emphasizes the importance of touch.
“Each movement of the fingers in the neck, each pressure on the strings, becomes a living note filled with meaning,” Ndiaye said.
Guitar is an integral part of the Marie Griott tradition and a cultural practice of storytelling through music. The musicians adapted the guitar to emulate the sounds of traditional string instruments, such as the Kora. Local artists such as Ali Farka Toure have fused Marian’s melody with blues elements to create a soulful, hypnotizing sound that has earned international acclaim.
The iconic Marianne musical duo Amadow and Mariam awakened Ndiaye’s passion for musical instruments when he was a boy.
“One day, near a photography studio, I heard their music resonate through the window, and I began to discover this universe,” he said.
Known as the “Blind Couple of Mali,” known as the duo of Amadu Babayoko, who lost sight at the age of 16, and Mariam Dumbia, who became blind at the age of 5 as a result of unprocessed measles, he rose to international fame in the 1990s with his fusion of traditional Marian music, rock and blue.
The couple met at the Institute of Blinds in Mali. There, Dumbia studied Braille and taught dance and music classes.
In such places, braille allowed students to overcome educational barriers such as taking more time to learn how to read and write. They can then take the same exam as others. This allows you to seek employment, Ali Mustafa Diko said.
Dico is also blind. Using a special typewriter, he can create texts in Braille for his students. However, he says the students are still at a disadvantage.
“We have a material crisis,” Dico said. He has one Braille reading book for the entire class of dozens of students.
However, with the development of new technologies, some blind and partially witnessed hope that educational barriers will continue.
“There’s software, there’s a talking phone so there’s a lot of stuff that’s been speaking up,” said musical duo Bagayoko. “This allows us to move forward.”
However, Moussa Mbengue, director of comprehensive education programmes at SENEGAL-based SightSavers, said such advancements have not yet made the leap that Braille made two centuries ago.
“It can’t replace Braille. On the contrary, for me, technology complements Braille,” he said.
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