Disability and culture, recreation, leisure

Disability Issues
Dr Christine Peta

IN this article, I continue to unpack the provisions of the National Disability Policy which was launched by President Mnangagwa on June 9, 2021.

The Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social Welfare, led by Honourable Minister Professor Paul Mavima oversees the implementation of the National Disability Policy, thus moving the provisions of the policy from paper to the real world to make a positive difference in the lives of persons with disabilities and their families.

The focus of this article is on Section 3.4 (Cultural Life, Recreation and Leisure) of the National Disability Policy, which is set out as follows:

3.4 Cultural Life, Recreation and Leisure

3.4.1 Persons with disabilities should be enabled to enjoy access to cultural materials, television programmes, films, theatre and other cultural activities, in accessible formats.

3.4.2 Places of cultural performances or services, such as theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries and tourism services must be accessible to persons with disabilities.

3.4.3 As far as possible, persons with disabilities should enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance.

3.4.4 Opportunities must be created for persons with disabilities to develop and use their creative, artistic, and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society.

3.4.5 Laws that protect intellectual property rights, should not constitute a barrier to access by persons with disabilities to cultural materials.

3.4.6 Specific cultural and linguistic identities, that include Zimbabwean Sign language and Deaf culture, must be recognised and supported on an equal basis with others.

So what does it all mean?

This section reminds us that persons with disabilities are not sick persons who should just sit around and wait to be fixed by medical doctors, so that they become “normal”.

But just like everyone else, persons with disabilities have human rights, including in the area of cultural life, recreation and leisure.

On September 23, 2013, Zimbabwe ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD).

Article 30 of the UNCRPD directs States Parties to recognise the right of persons with disabilities to take part on an equal basis with others in cultural life.

The same article directs States Parties to take all appropriate measures to ensure that persons with disabilities enjoy all facets that are outlined in Section 3.4 of the National Disability Policy as outlined above.

Section 3.4 of the National Disability Policy resonates with Article 30 of the UNCRPD (Participation in Cultural Life, Recreation, Leisure and Sport). However, in this article, I have deliberately left out the subject of sport because the intersection of sport and disability will be addressed in next week’s article.

Nonetheless, as highlighted above, Section 3.4.3 of the National Disability Policy states that “As far as possible, persons with disabilities should enjoy access to monuments and sites of national cultural importance.”

There is, therefore, clear evidence that disability intersects with cultural life, recreation and leisure, as part of the life experiences of persons with disabilities.

In Zimbabwe we have five heritage sites (three cultural and two natural). A World Heritage Site is a natural or cultural site that the international community regards as having immense universal value.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has designated 119 World Heritage Sites in Africa and Zimbabwe is home to five:

1. Khami Ruins National Monument (cultural)
2. Great Zimbabwe Ruins (cultural)
3. Matobo Hills (cultural)
4. Mosi-oa-Tunya/Victoria Falls (natural)
5. Mana Pools (natural)

Both the UNCRPD and the National Disability Policy of Zimbabwe promote the enjoyment of the right to access to the above sites by persons with disabilities.

Beyond the above, Zimbabwe is also home to other sites that carry the history of her people and where access by persons with disabilities should also be ensured. These sites include: the National Heroes Acres, Murewa Caves, Tsindi Ruins, Domboshava Caves,

Ziwa National Monument, Mutoko National Monument, Chemavara Rock Art Site, Dhlodhlo Ruins, Nalatele Ruins, Mzilikazi’s grave, Chiremba Balancing Rocks and Old Bulawayo Monument.

On the other hand, leisure consists of a wide range of activities that include relaxation.

Leisure activities are typically activities in which people freely choose to participate during their spare time because they find such activities enjoyable.

Persons with disabilities also have a right to engage in leisure activities. For example, youths with intellectual disabilities, such as Down syndrome and autism have the same preferences and wishes for leisure activities as their non-disabled counterparts, yet they are generally marginalised in leisure activities that include sport, crafts and relaxation.

Some people think that persons with disabilities should just focus on their disability and  spend their whole time seeking “treatment” from traditional healers and religious prophets, so they rid themselves of disability. But through leisure activities, persons with disabilities can also develop peer relationships and achieve social inclusion.

By creating opportunities for persons with disabilities to participate in recreational and leisure activities, we enable them to interact with others socially and to develop friendships with both persons with disabilities and persons without disabilities.

In addition, involvement in leisure activities enables persons with disabilities to express themselves in different ways, as well as to challenge their existing identity. For example, when we create opportunities for youths with Down syndrome to take part in cultural activities, we enable them to present themselves as artists and not as persons with intellectual disabilities.

Furthermore, engagement in physical activities creates space for persons with disabilities to contribute towards their well-being through social competency, improved physical fitness, increased view of self-success, as well as improved quality of life.

Persons with disabilities should be enabled to enjoy access to television programmes, films, and  theatre in accessible formats. For example, all television programmes and films should have a  Sign Language interpreter or written text so that they are accessible to deaf persons.

Anything  other than that leaves deaf persons out, thus contradicting the principle of the Sustainable  Development Goals (SDGs) Agenda 2030, and of the National Development Strategy 1 — 2021 to 2025 of leaving no one behind.

As highlighted in section 3.4.4 above, we all need to work together to create opportunities for persons with disabilities to develop and use their creative, artistic, and intellectual potential, not only for their own benefit, but also for the enrichment of society, whilst at the same time ensuring that laws that protect intellectual property rights, do not constitute a barrier to access  by persons with disabilities to cultural materials.

Dr Christine Peta is a disability, policy, international development and research expert who is the National Director of Disability Affairs in Zimbabwe. She can be contacted on: [email protected]