By Mercy Arthur
Tema. Sept. 11, GNA – The founder and pianist of Humble International Band, Mr. Reuben Atsu Amani, has praised the outstanding performances of musically talented blind people in the music industry and has made a plea for assistance so that they will succeed in life through their performances.
He said in addition to himself as the pianist, engineer, and guitarist, the energetic musical group also includes two singers, a male and a female, who are visually challenged.
He reaffirmed in an interview with Ghana News Agency’s Tema Entertainment Desk that the Humble International Band was founded on May 12, 2012, with the intention of enlisting additional musically inclined visually challenged people.
I started this group after realising that most of my visually challenged friends were interested in music and that many of them performed at bus stops, he continued.
He stressed that the goal of launching the band, which plays as “Combo Live Band” on special events, was to demonstrate that visually impaired people can excel if they have a talent, not just by performing on the side of the road.
“We are a visually challenged band, but everyone in the group has also pursued careers in school in addition to playing music”.
When the Humble International Band performed for the President of Ghana at the University of Ghana’s 70th anniversary celebrations in 2019 and was formally introduced to the President after their performances, the blind graduate pianist claimed that this was their greatest accomplishment.
He said the band had played on a variety of media platforms and at gatherings for other well-known people held at their homes, such as professional programmes.
He said their services were reasonably priced. As a result, he listed some of the difficulties the band faced, including money and logistical issues, among others, since the least amount of money they received enabled them to update their musical equipment every two to three years as well as for transportation.
He said the blind also had other disabilities, particularly discrimination in society, but they never let it demotivate them, but kept pushing forward.
“We have roughly 24 songs to work on as a band, including gospel tunes, and the group has a patriotic song with an official video on YouTube that was developed in 2020, he said.
He said the band’s reputation in the industry is good because it consistently produces high-caliber work, something he as the founder doesn’t compromise on.
He said that because each person has a unique function in God’s creation, they should always love and be inspired by themselves, even if they have disabilities because that doesn’t stop them from succeeding in life.
GNA