Stigmatization is a complex issue that affects not just individuals but even communities in today's world and I find it not just annoying but also baffling why some humans enjoy labeling, stereotyping, and even discriminating against people who possess different attributes or identities. I have seen how impactful stigmatization can be on victims, leading to social exclusion and unequal treatment in different settings, which should be definitely unacceptable but unfortunately, it’s the other way around.
I honestly feel like people who are different from us shouldn’t be treated differently in a negative way. They are humans and should be treated as one, enjoying every right and privilege available to other members of the society but rather than embracing them, a lot of people prefer to stigmatize them, making them feel like they belong to another world.
In my short time here, I have seen stigmatization at first hand and it’s terrible. I was a victim and even my mom had to live with people saying shit about her just because they don’t know her story before judging on who she is. Being a strong woman, she never cared and wouldn’t hesitate to fight back when anyone tries confronting her with what they thought was a stigma.
Beyond my family, I have seen other victims and somehow, I feel attached to them because I know how challenging it can be to cope with stigmatization.
At different places where I have worked, I have helped people who are physically challenged get jobs and they’ve never let me down even though some of my colleagues thought I made the wrong decision until they were proven wrong.
I met a guy hunting for job back then which was a regular thing for me because I had the privilege to employ promoters, sales people at my previous job and many of my colleagues always refer people to me.
This particular guy introduced himself as "Aro Kese", a stigmatized term used for lame people and I couldn’t prevent myself from laughing even though I know how much it hurts him to be called that name.
I asked why he called himself such a name and he said in Agege where he grew up, everyone including his siblings called him that name just because his legs were deformed but he still managed to walk slowly. He went deeper into how people and even his family have prevented him from living a normal life because of his condition which he finds really annoying.
He had little education because he was always hidden by his family and a lot of times, he had to fend for himself. Getting a job was challenging because nobody wants him and those who did only took advantage of his condition.
Despite of all that, he wasn’t willing to take the easier route into fending for himself. He swore to rather end his life than become a beggar and I felt emotional listening to his story. I actually did enjoy his company and because I wasn’t sure if he could fit into any available opening at work, I told him to check back while I figured something out.
Soon after, my boss came up with an idea of having small kiosk at bus stops just to create more awareness for our new products and as usual, I was told to get people who could do the job. I had to fix in my new friend somewhere around Ikeja and begged him not to disappoint me. I met his family when he was required to bring two guarantors and there was this disbelief in their eyes, they never imagined him in a place like that.
I summoned this guy to the office with others who were employed for the kiosk and street sales after a few months and I was surprised to see how he had blend in well already. His coworkers called him "Aro Kese" and he was happy about it probably because mingling with people had always been a dream. He worked diligently and never abused the opportunity till the position was scrapped due to COVID.
Our path crossed again at the popular Ile-po market where he now sells sim card and I was happy to see him doing pretty well. He wasn’t the first physically challenged person to work with me and I must say that everyone of them rose above their stigma to create a beautiful life for themselves.
Overcoming stigmatization might look like the most difficult thing to do but it’s quite easy when we believe in ourselves. Trying to make people pity us won’t do any good and it’s important that we don’t spend a vital part of our life trying to prove people wrong.
Live your life like every normal human and don’t ever belittle yourself in any situation because those stigma doesn’t define us. We have the power to determine who want to be/ who we are.
All Image Are Mine.
