Zanzibari music academy helping mentally disabled kids

The organisation has been extending the same gesture to blind and deaf pupils at Kisiwandui Primary School since 2012. It is now employing therapy sessions to assist children with Down syndrome and autism to stimulate brain activity.

“The problem in Zanzibar is that children with disabilities such as Down syndrome and autism are victimised and stigmatised,” DCMA managing director Adrian Podgorny told Music In Africa.

“In both cases they are prone to all kinds of abuses and there is lack of access to services that are designed to assist disabled children within the community. Last month we started providing music classes for kids with Down syndrome who are under the care of Kahesa Zanzibar Foundation.

"The foundation's founder, Simia Ahmadi, who served as DCMA board member for many years, asked us if we could do something together to help kids that are under the care of her organisation. So we decided to start the programme. We will also continue providing music education for kids with disabilities at Kisiwandui Primary School.”

Podgorny said music was often used to aid the development of disabled children. “Art therapy can bring great results for children with Down syndrome to develop speech and language skills in areas of communication, oral motor, sequencing, intelligibility and patterns of language.”

He said there had been a significant change since the DCMA started accommodating children with disabilities.

“We can see great results, especially in Kisiwandui School where the DCMA started to work in 2012. Seeing them smiling is priceless. Music classes are very helpful for learning social skills.

"We believe that music can bring change at many levels such as social inclusion of kids with disabilities, and to strengthen their self-esteem. We should not forget the joy brought by music in our lives.”

Podgorny said the therapy classes were a way to give back to the communities that had assisted the DCMA throughout the years.