Despite Grace Alache Jerry’s disability, she has been using music to advocate and influence change in her community. At the centre of her musical career, she uses every opportunity to bring the world’s attention to the challenges faced by millions of physically challenged Nigerians.
Recently, Jerry was in the United States of America where she attended the Mandela Washington Programme for Young African Leaders and met President Barack Obama. In this chat with TS Weekend, she spoke about her encounter with the most powerful man in the world, her passion for music and heart for the physically challenged. Excerpts:
How did music begin for you?
Music started a long time ago for me. I started from the church choir like many other musicians of today. Music is me; it’s my story and my future. I draw inspiration from everyday’s challenges. Every time I struggle to use the bathroom because of designs that are not inclusive, I think music. When there is a bomb blast that renders persons disabled, I want to sing peace and inclusion of persons with disabilities in peace building processes. Everyone has got a platform to speak up for those who have lost their voices, and for Grace Jerry, it is music.
You were not born this way, so how did it happen?
No one wants to live or be born with impairments, it just happens. Mine was as a result of an accident 13 years ago. A drunk driver knocked me down on my way back from church. It was a sad experience but I have moved on because there is so much ahead for me. I am a happy person today, fulfilling destiny. I am human first before disability and the world needs to see that.
How did the encouragement come that you began to do great things?
I have never considered death because I didn’t create it in the first place. Despite the challenges, there is still so much to be thankful for. My latest single, I Am Grace, will tell you about many more lives to touch and hopes to rebuild. So, why would I consider not living?
Tell us about your experience in the United States as a Mandela Washington fellow?
I was privileged to be selected as one of the 500 young African leaders to be part of President Barak Obama’s Young African Leadership Initiative (YALI) out of over 30,000 applications. Participating in the 2015 Mandela Washington fellowship programme is one experience I can’t forget. It was seven weeks of learning, sharing passion and experience with 500 young Africans doing amazing things in their communities. YALI 2015 has made me a better person with great inspiration to deepen my advocacy efforts, as it concerns promoting the rights of Nigerians with disabilities. I am back home now and it is time to translate the experience into action.
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