How glaucoma setback transformed songwriter Crystal Asige
When life gives you a lemon, the proverbial saying goes, make lemonade out of it.
This saying best describes the life and times of renowned songwriter Crystal Asige.
Currently serving as a Senator, Asige was born normally and grew up with hopes of a brighter future before her story took another twist when she suffered from Glaucoma.
Asige, who is a former member of the now-defunct Sauti Soul music group, was nominated to the Senate by the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party after the 2022 elections.
The party is associated with the famed politician Raila Odinga.
The Glaucoma illness was a significant setback by all accounts, that was before discovered her powerful purpose through writing and singing.
Glaucoma is a disease that can cause vision loss and blindness by damaging a nerve in the back of your eye called the optic nerve.
“When I lost control and everything around me started to disappear, my voice remained. Glaucoma made me understand my ability to, and the importance of, standing alone,” Asige said, “I think I was given this mountain so that I can show others it can be moved.”
The award-winning songwriter now seeks to create awareness around the intersectionalities of being a young, black-African woman and entrepreneur with an invisible disability living in the global south.
She is also a diversity, equity, and inclusion consultant, disability rights champion, accessibility auditor, and public speaker.
The Senator says that she has set up the models to disrupt negative perceptions using what she calls ‘artivism’ and ‘edutainment, which she hopes will have exponential impacts in society at large on the perceptions and treatment of people with disabilities.
The songwriter is a University of the West of England Bristol graduate, BBC trained Media professional, Amnesty International Kenya board member, YouTuber, and creative business owner.
Recently, Asige released a song to hip-hop and R&B lovers with her six-track mixtape ‘Blinding Allure’, a musical tale showcasing her limitless evolution.
Asige stated that her mixtape was a melodic journey that serves as an homage to Kenya’s diverse youth whom she had the pleasure to interact with daily through her work as a Senator.
“This mixtape is about recognising the power of self-worth, the limitless potential of us all once we decide to stop hiding who we are, and create our path in the world.”
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