Kasese’s blind boy ventures into music
Tadeo Masereka performs at one of the functions to mark international day for PWDs in Kasese. Photo by Thembo Kahungu.
What you need to know:
Masereka’s stage name is Tadeo Master Lady. He says he chose to call himself “Master Lady” because most of the friends accepting him in spite hid blindness are girls.
When popular artiste Mark Bugembe a.k.a Butcherman rose to the stage about a decade ago, many revellers wondered how a person with disability could entertain with such a special talent at the height of his Lwaki Temumatila hit song.
Those who heard his audios being played on local radio stations could not believe until they watched the video or saw him live on stage. But he said being disabled does not mean failing totally. His music continues to occupy airspace.
Inspired by Butcherman’s fame and also U.S President Barack Obama’s slogan “Yes We Can” is 23-year-old Tadeo Masereka, a blind man from Kasese, who is venturing into music.
Masereka’s stage name is Tadeo Master Lady. He says he chose to call himself “Master Lady” because most of the friends accepting him in spite hid blindness are girls.
“Most of the time, I play with ladies not that I date them but because they accept to spend time with me despite by lack of sight. I know them by their voices and body touch. That is why I took on that name,” he says.
An orphan only brought up by his mother, Ms Mary Masika, following his father’s death before starting school, Masereka wants to use music to raise money for school fees and also advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. He has released his first album, Ayi Mukama, literally meaning My Lord in Lhukonzo language.
“My music praises the Almighty God because he has guided me through my blindness. He has given me friends who take good care of me. He says.
Masereka wants to become a lawyer because, he says, there is no full justice for the Persons with Disabilities and so he wants to help.
Masereka narrates poems, which he writes using braces.
Judith Babirye and Kasese Local Musician Award 2011 award winner, Lady Peace Edina, are his national role models in music because, he says, of their special dedication to sing for the Lord.
The Kasese District inspector of schools in charge of special needs, Ms Kruthum Moshi describes Masereka as an intelligent young man, whose acts challenge the able-bodied youths who spend most of their time loitering and idling.
Background: Born on October 29, 1990 at Namhuga hills village, near Kilembe in Kasese District.
Education: He is a Senior Two student at Saad Memorial Secondary School in Kasese.
Blindness: Masereka barely knows how the earth looks like because he was blinded in his infancy.
