‘Lunch in the dark’ an education, say guests

EASTERN Cape residents were given an opportunity to walk in the shoes of the blind at the first ever “Lunch in the Dark” held in Dimbaza on Saturday.

Hosted by the Eastern Cape Print and Braille Association, an NGO, and the office of the premier, the gathering highlighted and raised awareness of the daily challenges faced by the blind.

To gain a deeper understanding of these issues, guests were blindfolded upon arrival and encouraged to sit through the entire programme of speakers, and eat their lunch, without using their sight.

To keep with the theme of the day, the event programme was printed in Braille.

Speakers at the event included a person who was born blind, one who lost their sight late in their lives, a partially-sighted individual, one who had lost their sight through an accident at work, and one who was blind and could not hear. Helpers were available on request for anyone needing assistance.

Guests were requested to donate a sum of money for their tickets, which will be used for future programmes run by the NGO.

According to the chairperson of the Eastern Cape Print and Braille Association, Nomava Gungqa, the event was a huge success, with about 300 guests in attendance. “The audience members were a bit panicked at first when they arrived because they are so used to relying on their eyes to get around, but they relaxed as the day wore on. Their blindfolds were only removed after they had eaten their meals,” said Gungqa, who lost her sight at the age of 20 due to inflammation of the optic nerves.

“The day was an attempt to show the seeing world the challenges we face on a daily basis, especially when we attend events and there is no provision made for the blind. The speakers spoke about how they came to lose their sight and gave first-hand accounts of the battles they face in their lives.”

Pumla Msikinya-Malebogo, director of the special programmes unit at the office of the premier, said the event was extremely informative. “We were not allowed to wear our glasses, because we were blindfolded, and we couldn’t even use our phones. We really got to see what it means to be blind.”

Gungqa said because of the massive support they had received from the community, they were planning to host a similar even in September, Blind Awareness Month. —