Episode 9

Giving a voice to the voiceless, with Rita Ofili

Published on: 12th July, 2022

Serena talks with Rita Ofili, the number 1 wheelchair model in Nigeria, about the importance of giving a voice to the voiceless, disability in Nigeria and in Africa, becoming a model and being intentional in building our own future.

You can find more information about Rita here:

Transcript
Rita:

being a voice for the voiceless.

Rita:

And I believe the voice is what brought us here too.

Rita:

And we need to be our own trumpet blower.

Rita:

Whohoo.

Rita:

If you don't say it's, nobody will hear.

Rita:

If I don't say nobody will hear.

Rita:

If I don't come out, nobody will see me.

Rita:

If I haven't come.

Rita:

We pull it.

Rita:

See me?

Rita:

No, if I haven't come out, will you see me?

Rita:

No.

Rita:

So we need to be a trumpet blowout who I'm Rita.

Rita:

I am here, Rita exists

Serena:

Today, I'm talking with Rita Ofili The number one wheelchair model

Serena:

in Nigeria, Rita is also a disabled activist and the owner of a charity

Serena:

that is working on disability.

Serena:

We are going to discuss about the challenges of being a disabled person

Serena:

in Nigeria and in Africa, in general, the relationship between fashion and

Serena:

disability, the importance of being intentional in building your own future.

Serena:

And why love is so important.

Serena:

Thank you for being here and welcome Rita.

Rita:

My name is Rita Ofili.

Rita:

I am the first wheelchair model in Nigeria.

Rita:

I am an advocate for persons with disability and I am

Rita:

a disabled inclusion, a.

Rita:

Wherever I had been said, no, I said, I say, yes, we exist.

Rita:

We live.

Rita:

And we are human.

Rita:

We need to be embraced as a civil ability, need to be working.

Rita:

People with disability are living and we can add to the community.

Rita:

So over time I've gotten a lot of no, and it not became too

Rita:

much on me and being overwhelmed.

Rita:

I said, no, what is my assistance on resu face of the.

Rita:

If God wasn't want, he doesn't want me to leave.

Rita:

Then why creates me?

Rita:

But if he allows me with these orders and challenges and problems and

Rita:

pains, he would've taken my life.

Rita:

Then I rest with the law, but he catch me on this office of the earth.

Rita:

That means I have a lot.

Rita:

I have things to offer a to the face of the earth.

Rita:

It's not easy.

Rita:

Over time.

Rita:

I sunk.

Rita:

Praying reading meditating, asking the universe, what is my existence

Rita:

on this phase of the earth?

Rita:

And I had vividly avoid saying, look into yourself, look into the mind I

Rita:

am your God who has made you this far.

Rita:

I can't let you go.

Rita:

So I began to sink inside, began to meditate, and I knew very

Rita:

strong that I am beautiful.

Rita:

I'm a beautiful.

Rita:

So I said, okay, with this beauty I can work.

Rita:

I think I can be a mother, not just for myself, but for unborn children.

Rita:

For people who feel they're beautiful for people who say I'm the same,

Rita:

but how can I showcase myself?

Rita:

How would it work?

Rita:

See me, a person for disability can be a brand ambassador can be an influencer.

Rita:

So I took it upon myself to be a model going to different modeling

Rita:

industry in Nigeria about 10.

Rita:

And all of them said no to me.

Rita:

I said, wow, it's really true.

Rita:

That there's nothing for.

Rita:

And I went again, the 11th were said, oh, I haven't done

Rita:

this with my Modelling agency.

Rita:

I never knew disabled people who exist.

Rita:

I never knew they can do this.

Rita:

You are the first person, but, and you sound, they smart and intelligent.

Rita:

Let's work together.

Rita:

Let's work.

Rita:

God can do.

Rita:

And we started and this guy kept going this man COA creature, world agency, he

Rita:

kept going to different places to say, I have a model who's on a wheelchair.

Rita:

They exist, they can model and they buy products.

Rita:

Why can't we use them as a model?

Rita:

Ah, we can't see her shape.

Rita:

She can't cut work.

Rita:

She can't do this.

Rita:

She can't say no, not with Rita will on our wheelchair sit and will and she'll

Rita:

be able to sell your products and not just it, she is smart and intelligent.

Rita:

Did we get a yes, no.

Rita:

All we got was no, I said, okay.

Rita:

And I was in this very and American personnel one man came is into

Rita:

beautiful new fashion show.

Rita:

I'm coming to Nigeria, come and meet me in Orienta hotel us.

Rita:

You're a model.

Rita:

So we need to show you on our platform.

Rita:

And that was how I went.

Rita:

I took one other persons with disability, a guy, a boy, a man.

Rita:

Yeah.

Rita:

So when we got there,

Rita:

we did it and it was amazing.

Rita:

I said, wow, this is an international brand that came all the way from America

Rita:

saying inclusive inclusion exists.

Rita:

And these people live and I was happy and I started working

Rita:

with other charity organization.

Rita:

I kept ongoing.

Rita:

I said, oh, Rita, over the years, I've grown from age one.

Rita:

This age being B that's nine 40 approaching 41.

Rita:

. I have a story, childhood story, adult story, teenage story, love

Rita:

story rejection, AccessAbility, abandonment architectural barrier.

Rita:

I problem all.

Rita:

These are my life experience.

Rita:

Love life, love story.

Rita:

How make comes and say, oh, I would've loved to love you.

Rita:

Can you handle house choice?

Rita:

Can you cook?

Rita:

Do you have feeling.

Rita:

Can you have sexual acting?

Rita:

Can you consider the child?

Rita:

And I'm like, you're asking me if I'm a woman.

Rita:

Imagine somebody asking you, can you love, can you give, be,

Rita:

can you, do you have feelings?

Rita:

I said, you're asking you a woman.

Rita:

All these things I said, come on, is this what you wanna try?

Rita:

Or you want know?

Rita:

Or you are asking, if you say you love someone, it should be beyond

Rita:

these questions, but there it's an avenue for you to know me better.

Rita:

When you get to know, but not coming, telling me this, these are your fears.

Rita:

And sometimes there's this misconception.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

They don't love you.

Rita:

They just want sex.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

And they want to exploit to you.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

I love you.

Rita:

They want to collect the one you have.

Rita:

So there is no true love in there

Serena:

I'm curious about the fashion industry and the

Serena:

notion of inclusive fashion.

Serena:

I think we have still a long way to go.

Serena:

But what is your impression?

Serena:

Of that.

Rita:

I live in Nigeria.

Rita:

So I'll be using Nigeria as a case in Nigeria, the governments, the individuals

Rita:

private and organizations, first of all, they don't know how to go about it one.

Rita:

So they don't believe they.

Rita:

And three people with hasn't been willing to come out.

Rita:

Not because they can come out, but because there's nobody saying,

Rita:

oh, I see potentials in you.

Rita:

I see you can act.

Rita:

I see.

Rita:

As a lady, I see at some, I believe you can walk in the company.

Rita:

I believe without them not being discriminatory in Nigeria, we

Rita:

have implementation disability.

Rita:

Has it been implemented?

Rita:

No, they still abuse people with disability.

Rita:

They still take advantage of us.

Rita:

, they've not yet realized that persons with disability in Nigeria exists,

Serena:

and you said at the beginning that you are an activist, can

Serena:

you share your activist job right now, what you are trying to do?

, Rita:

what is an activist?

, Rita:

An activist is someone who helps or someone who helps to blow

, Rita:

the trumpets of another person, being a voice for the voiceless.

, Rita:

And as a person with disability, I took it upon myself to be an activist.

, Rita:

All these things I've done have shown that whether ever they say no, I

, Rita:

say, yes, we, as this, we can do it.

, Rita:

Everybody matters.

, Rita:

So over time, I've had a lot of.

, Rita:

No so as an activist, I go, I write letters to companies that said, I

, Rita:

want to come board with this, with my partners, with my NGO non-governmental

, Rita:

organization, we are saying we exist.

, Rita:

We have people that can work in your company or it organization.

, Rita:

And in modeling, in acting, we want a role, a story that has to be authentic.

, Rita:

If I tell a story of the persons with disability all over the world,

, Rita:

they will say, yes, that's true.

, Rita:

So let the story on be the ones telling their story.

, Rita:

So that is the work of an activist as a disabled activist in Nigeria.

, Rita:

These are the things that been doing and being a voice for the voiceless.

, Rita:

And I believe the voice is what brought us here too.

, Rita:

And we need to be our own trumpet blower.

, Rita:

Whohoo.

, Rita:

If you don't say it's, nobody will hear.

, Rita:

If I don't say nobody will hear.

, Rita:

If I don't come out, nobody will see me.

, Rita:

If I haven't come.

, Rita:

We pull it.

, Rita:

See me?

, Rita:

No, if I haven't come out, will you see me?

, Rita:

No.

, Rita:

So we need to be a trumpet blowout who I'm Rita.

, Rita:

I am here, Rita exists.

, Rita:

We want our voice to be heard and we go to the media.

, Rita:

Media join me net bloody trumpet, Woohoo

, Rita:

. I'm blowing my trumped.

, Rita:

We have 20 million plus people with disability in Nigeria.

, Rita:

So if my life has changed, I'm going to change 20 million people.

, Rita:

And if your life is changed, you are going to change 20 million people.

, Rita:

And they say some weird things to me, but how do I feel?

, Rita:

I just laugh.

, Rita:

I'm so patient, I will educate you.

, Rita:

And sometimes ill just ignore.

, Rita:

Sometimes I'll just, I.

, Rita:

I get emotional.

, Rita:

I feel so bad.

, Rita:

Why would this person ask me?

, Rita:

And so said, yeah, just a cripple who is going do this to

, Rita:

you, who is going to marry you?

, Rita:

They just a cripple.

, Rita:

You should be happy.

, Rita:

I'm associated with you and inside of me, but I'm human who

, Rita:

can communicate, who can relate.

, Rita:

Why address me in such awkward way, but then who am I?

, Rita:

Everybody has, these are her way of responding to life and I move.

, Rita:

My being happy is intentional because if I consider what people

, Rita:

tells me, what people have told me in this life, I wouldn't be here.

, Rita:

I wouldn't have met it.

, Rita:

I would've been six feet below dying or dealing with a God who made me and

, Rita:

rest my peace, but then I am leaving.

, Rita:

So I have been intentional peaceful with myself.

, Rita:

Know, in Africa, the way they talk to you in Africa.

, Rita:

Oh my goodness.

, Rita:

If you don't own yourself, you die a million times.

, Rita:

So be intentional own your happiness.

, Rita:

Be who you are, educate, who is ready to hear, and whoever

, Rita:

is not ready, just move on

Serena:

And I love the fact that if we are using our trumpet, Another

Serena:

person can hear the sound and can wake up or feel less alone.

Serena:

And it's something that we are doing right now because I'm in Italy.

Serena:

You are in Nigeria.

Serena:

We were put in contact by Punit.

Serena:

That is in India.

Serena:

And it's like that the trumpet that we are blowing is creating

Serena:

a beautiful concert altogether.

Rita:

Yes, that's.

Rita:

That's it.

Serena:

And I love the fact that you are saying that we can be intentional.

Serena:

Would you like to explore a little bit more?

Serena:

How can we be intentional every day in our life, especially

Serena:

when the world is against us?

Rita:

Yes.

Rita:

Oh, be intentional is saying.

Rita:

Where do you want to be?

Rita:

What do you want?

Rita:

How do you want it?

Rita:

Where do you want to be in the next 10 years?

Rita:

Five years, even if nobody's doing it, you could be the first

Rita:

person to event that in Nigeria.

Rita:

I don't believe that it not been hard that the persons with disabil

Rita:

is coming out to say I'm a model.

Rita:

So I was intentional in that aspect.

Rita:

I became an, I did in 2016, 17, 18, 19 20, 21, 22, about seven years, eight years.

Rita:

And I'm still doing it.

Rita:

That has been intentional.

Rita:

You have written your goals and oh, I want to, and you wake up in the morning.

Rita:

There are obstacles.

Rita:

There are challenges.

Rita:

There are pains.

Rita:

I said, no, I'm not seeing this pain.

Rita:

I'm not seeing these challenge.

Rita:

I'm going to be intention that this is what I want at the end of

Rita:

the day, I'm going achieve this.

Rita:

Intent like that.

Rita:

I want this is what I want.

Rita:

This is where I'm going.

Rita:

This is what I want.

Rita:

This is what I'm gonna do about it.

Rita:

And you do it.

Rita:

So that is an of being intentional forth.

Rita:

Accept in your innermost and said, this is me.

Rita:

This is what I want.

Rita:

This is where I want to go in the next two years, this, our global movements,

Rita:

we've opened doors all over the world.

Rita:

We are affecting America.

Rita:

We're affecting Africa, we're affecting Asia countries.

Rita:

We're affecting Europe Haven.

Rita:

Wouldn't we be intentional.

Rita:

We are,

Rita:

. You wrote me.

Rita:

You were intentional.

Rita:

Say, I'm going to have meeting with Rita.

Rita:

And now we are intentional together writing each other,

Rita:

saying, this is what we are doing.

Rita:

And we're intentional talking, exchanging experience.

Rita:

So whatever we need to do in life, we need to be intentional.

Rita:

You and I are here and people are saying, oh no, you can get a job.

Rita:

Oh, people this, oh, there's not this, that, and I'm intentionally,

Rita:

you are intentionally same weird.

Rita:

It's relieving.

Rita:

This is it.

Rita:

And all that.

Rita:

So this is an of being an, of being intentional in.

Rita:

Whatever you want to do.

Rita:

Yeah.

Serena:

And I'm sharing something personal here with you.

Serena:

I was born with a disability.

Serena:

They said to me, you are going to die when you, you are five, six years old

Serena:

and I'm still here and it's a beautiful

Rita:

LA.

Rita:

It's beautiful.

Rita:

That's what I said earlier when God said, yes, no man can say no.

Rita:

When the universe is you existing, not even the disability, not

Rita:

even the challenge of the pain that can stop you from living.

Rita:

I got my disability at age eight, I was sick, taken to the hospital,

Rita:

being injected on the wrong vein and that led to paralysis.

Rita:

And I'm not able to work till this moment.

Rita:

And some people in Nigeria in Africa, Nigeria, they'll tell you your

Rita:

child isn't able to work either.

Rita:

There are some forces.

Rita:

There are some evil, your parents has committed or something somewhere.

Rita:

This misconception culture, they'll say, oh, you did something.

Rita:

That's why your child is not able to walk.

Rita:

You did this.

Rita:

That's why you're able to walk.

Rita:

You're not living.

Rita:

Why don't you throw your child in the Bush?

Rita:

Why don't you just abandon your child?

Rita:

Why don't you use your child for rituals?

Rita:

And my mom said no, when God allowed this to happen, that means the

Rita:

universe is the beginning and the.

Rita:

And I'm here.

Rita:

They gave me the best care they not showed me.

Rita:

. And I

Serena:

think we are also full of love instead of full of hate.

Serena:

Would you like to share something about that?

Serena:

The importance of love?

Rita:

Oh, love is beautiful.

Rita:

Love is a beautiful thing.

Rita:

Love makes the world go around.

Rita:

It's an act of love that made you.

Rita:

Wanting it is an act of love that makes someone in India pun to calming.

Rita:

It's an act of love.

Rita:

So someone in another country connecting with me or you, it's an act of love.

Rita:

The love makes the world a beautiful place, and God is love himself.

Rita:

The creates all the owner of the universe.

Rita:

He still would love that he died for us, for our sin to be forgiven.

Rita:

And for us to leave, we love a lot of things will be done and

Rita:

humanity loving our humanity.

Rita:

A fellow human is the best thing that can happen to anybody

Rita:

on this surface of the earth.

Rita:

And I'm so glad that I own a charity organization and I'm where

Rita:

I can show love to people with the stability and to other person.

Rita:

So it's not even about disabled or not able it's about humanity.

Rita:

. Love is a continuous arts.

Serena:

Would you like to share something more about your charitable work?

Rita:

Oh, yes.

Rita:

My organization is called FTA hope foundation is on social media handle and

Rita:

we used to have a website and after a while the website expired, which I don't

Rita:

have money to renew it and all that.

Rita:

One of those talent, thank God for social media.

Rita:

At least it's there and all that.

Rita:

Yeah.

Rita:

My charity organization, we reference on people with disability, mostly.

Rita:

People on wheelchair for children, for male and female.

Rita:

Why did I choose that aspect?

Rita:

Because disability is white.

Rita:

We have the visual impaired, we have the milk, which is the death and the dump.

Rita:

We have summers.

Rita:

We have we have physical disability.

Rita:

We have there are some disability that is not obvious.

Rita:

We have celebrate P we have down syndrome.

Rita:

It's so broad.

Rita:

And I can't put my hand in all of them.

Rita:

So I chose the aspects where I'm professionalized, where I know how it

Rita:

is, where it is affecting me, where people like me, I can relate like

Rita:

mine, but that does not stop that.

Rita:

If we see somebody weak can help, that has the disabilities,

Rita:

that we cannot, we will do that.

Rita:

But this is our own motive.

Rita:

I said, this is where we start our standard point to say, our

Rita:

focus is on wheelchair people.

Rita:

If persons with disability on wheelchairs, and if you have the

Rita:

stability, physical disability, you can't walk, you can't do anything.

Rita:

We get to your wheelchair.

Rita:

We get employment.

Rita:

go seeking for a job and they get employed.

Rita:

Then we buy clothes.

Rita:

We take care of them.

Rita:

Once in a while we do a pack persons with disability.

Rita:

I've not been able to go for.

Rita:

And they're like, I don't have transport.

Rita:

Where would I go?

Rita:

So we organize our own party, get a hall, pay for it, get DJ, have food and drink.

Rita:

And they eat and you see this excitement like, wow.

Rita:

They party, like really, and sometimes I take them to a restaurant and we buy food.

Rita:

We are eating, we are talking.

Rita:

They like, ah, I've never gone to a restaurant or retire.

Rita:

It made it.

Rita:

All those things.

Rita:

Those testimonies makes me happy.

Rita:

It broadens my mind.

Rita:

And I'm happy to say because of me, they come out because of me, they're

Rita:

happy because of me, they're excited.

Rita:

That's really amazing when you are working and you have a structure

Rita:

of avenue where you can give back to people, which is my NGO

Rita:

. . Serena: Would you like to share

Rita:

your journey, your personal journey?

Rita:

Yes, to my listeners.

Rita:

I really appreciate you for taking out time to come to this podcast.

Rita:

She's a very beautiful soy.

Rita:

I'm an amazing person to talk, which is so sweet and peaceful because all those

Rita:

energy got into me and I was able to blow more and she allowed me to own the ground.

Rita:

She allowed me to be made dear listeners.

Rita:

I'm a Nigerian and my name is Rita Oly.

Rita:

I hope.

Rita:

And I believe.

Rita:

My story is authentic enough for you to support me.

Rita:

I need support financial support to have a well structured environment

Rita:

and accessibility, the transport system, the accommodation, everything

Rita:

that will enable me to live life in a very beautiful way that God has made

Rita:

me and to carry other people in my community and to extend my hands to.

Rita:

With disability.

Rita:

I do counseling for able person.

Rita:

Some able people have children with disability, some married

Rita:

people with disabilities, some adopt, some have children.

Rita:

So I also rank that counseling for people with disability and able person knowing

Rita:

how to manage people with disability.

Rita:

. Thank you so much.

Rita:

And I do appreciate it.

Rita:

One love keep us together.

Rita:

Let's keep moving the global movement.

Rita:

Thank you once again.

Rita:

And I'm grateful to point it from India.

Serena:

Oh, so beautiful Aita.

Serena:

Thank you.

Serena:

Thank you so much.

Serena:

. You need to and teach me to be more intentional in my happiness for sure.

Rita:

Thank you, Rita.

Rita:

Thank you.

Rita:

Bye.

Rita:

Thank you.

Rita:

Love you.

Rita:

Love you.

Serena:

Thank you so much, Rita for being here.

Serena:

If you want to know more information on how to support Rita.

Serena:

You can go in the description or on the website pod link slash welcome.

Serena:

Please share this conversation with friends that needs to

Serena:

hear these meaningful words from Rita and see you next time

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About the Podcast

I'm Back!
Returning to work after a life-changing experience can be tough. Whether due to illness, injury, maternity, or for any other reason, we can face a multitude of challenges.

Join Serena Savini as she shares her own struggles with returning to work, and explores ways we can navigate change with empathy, and emerge thriving.

Through conversations with guests, Serena uncovers stories from different perspectives on how we can create a warm environment with a human touch to come back to work.

Artwork by Sara Ronzoni (www.operegeniali.com)

About your host

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Serena Savini

HR Expert, Facilitator and Counselor, Serena Savini is the founder and host of the I'm Back! Podcast. For the past 15 years, she has been working in big organisations and in startups across Europe and US with a heart centric approach to Human Resources and Learning & Development.

She was born with a disability and she had an injury at work in 2016. Since then, she began to do a personal healing process and she became curious about other stories around coming back to work after a life changing experience.