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| Picture retrieved from www.sidialo.com |
By, Samson Babu
Douglas Sidialo lost his eyesight during the 1998 terrorist bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi.
Douglas Sidialo lost his eyesight during the 1998 terrorist bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi.
Sidialo was running an errand for his employer when he saw a car suddenly take a wrong turn towards the American Embassy. "I heard gunshots and saw a guard running towards my car, then a sudden loud blast. I passed out and when I regained consciousness, I was being attended to at the Kenyatta National Hospital. I think some toxic substances got into my eyes but local doctors couldn’t help. Specialist doctors who flew in from Germany could not help either, and I lost my eyesight," says Sidialo.
To this day, the man still has vivid recollections of the
events that led to his blindness. Before August 7, 1998, Sidialo had perfect
vision. But after being caught up in the terrorist bomb attack, he was admitted
to Kenyatta National Hospital only to be discharged two months later permanently
blind.
Although he worried about his future, the fate of his wife and two children weighed more heavily on him than his own. But his adverse condition has, over time, emboldened him.
It would not be too much to say that Sidialo has an incredible attitude and spirit. He has taken his blindness as a challenge and is working with other survivors of the blast to seek new ways of coping with the challenges posed by their unique condition.
In August 2011, he was in Quebec, Canada, to participate in the International Blind Sports Association World Championship as a cyclist. Although he didn’t win a medal, he is happy to have passed the message of peace to those he interacted with during the event.
"Travelling the whole distance was not just an adventure for me," says Sidialo. He, however, acknowledges that the trip was more arduous than he had envisaged.
And there was neither fame nor fortune to be bagged by the winner. The most important thing was to use the expedition to promote peace and conservation initiatives. Twenty-seven men and six women from eight countries participated in the event. Although the journey was difficult, they had an opportunity to experience the beauty of Africa as they cycled their way from the north to the south.
Sidialo says his main reason for participating in the event was to extend a hand of peace to all war-mongering leaders and their henchmen. His gesture, he hopes, will be an inspiration to many others who are struggling with disability and especially those who, like himself, have been maimed in conflict situations.
"I’m cycling because I know that the world is in disarray. There are very few people preaching peace and many leaders out looking for war. My mission is to spread peace, love and justice and create awareness about these issues," he says.
Sidialo rode a tandem bike with his sighted friend, Benson Njoroge Ng’ang’a, but only joined the race on the Kenyan leg onwards; that was the agreement he had with his sponsors. Ng’ang’a sat in the front seat of the tandem and acted as a guide for Sidialo, but both men had to pull their weight.
The cyclists preceded from Kenya through Dodoma, Tanzania, Nkatha Bay in Malawi and Harare, Zimbabwe, before embarking on the final leg that took them to Botswana via Gaborone and on to the last leg to Cape Town.
Sidialo says he has special empathy for victims of terrorism, such as the September 11 survivors.
"I know how difficult it is to accept the situation when something like what happened to them takes place. But acceptance is the only way to deal with it. There is no way one can prevent what has already happened so wherever I go, I have made it my duty to tell people to adopt a positive attitude to life," he says.
Sidialo says he wants to study conflict transformation programs to enable him improve his peace-building and mediation skills.
Besides cycling for peace, Sidialo has been involved in other initiatives. He also took part in a three-day cycling event from New York City to Washington in honor of victims of the September 11 attacks and their families.
Although he worried about his future, the fate of his wife and two children weighed more heavily on him than his own. But his adverse condition has, over time, emboldened him.
It would not be too much to say that Sidialo has an incredible attitude and spirit. He has taken his blindness as a challenge and is working with other survivors of the blast to seek new ways of coping with the challenges posed by their unique condition.
In August 2011, he was in Quebec, Canada, to participate in the International Blind Sports Association World Championship as a cyclist. Although he didn’t win a medal, he is happy to have passed the message of peace to those he interacted with during the event.
"Travelling the whole distance was not just an adventure for me," says Sidialo. He, however, acknowledges that the trip was more arduous than he had envisaged.
And there was neither fame nor fortune to be bagged by the winner. The most important thing was to use the expedition to promote peace and conservation initiatives. Twenty-seven men and six women from eight countries participated in the event. Although the journey was difficult, they had an opportunity to experience the beauty of Africa as they cycled their way from the north to the south.
Sidialo says his main reason for participating in the event was to extend a hand of peace to all war-mongering leaders and their henchmen. His gesture, he hopes, will be an inspiration to many others who are struggling with disability and especially those who, like himself, have been maimed in conflict situations.
"I’m cycling because I know that the world is in disarray. There are very few people preaching peace and many leaders out looking for war. My mission is to spread peace, love and justice and create awareness about these issues," he says.
Sidialo rode a tandem bike with his sighted friend, Benson Njoroge Ng’ang’a, but only joined the race on the Kenyan leg onwards; that was the agreement he had with his sponsors. Ng’ang’a sat in the front seat of the tandem and acted as a guide for Sidialo, but both men had to pull their weight.
The cyclists preceded from Kenya through Dodoma, Tanzania, Nkatha Bay in Malawi and Harare, Zimbabwe, before embarking on the final leg that took them to Botswana via Gaborone and on to the last leg to Cape Town.
Sidialo says he has special empathy for victims of terrorism, such as the September 11 survivors.
"I know how difficult it is to accept the situation when something like what happened to them takes place. But acceptance is the only way to deal with it. There is no way one can prevent what has already happened so wherever I go, I have made it my duty to tell people to adopt a positive attitude to life," he says.
Sidialo says he wants to study conflict transformation programs to enable him improve his peace-building and mediation skills.
Besides cycling for peace, Sidialo has been involved in other initiatives. He also took part in a three-day cycling event from New York City to Washington in honor of victims of the September 11 attacks and their families.
Sidialo is
the leader of an organization known as Visual Seventh August, which brings
together survivors and families of victims of the August 7 bombing.
"Through the new book and the organization, I hope to expand my frontiers
of preaching peace."
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