Toyosi Alexis first went viral in 2021 for a letter she wrote to her hearing loss. “Couldn’t you just fix yourself and go away?,” she wrote in the post. “I fought to prove that I was worthy — more than just a girl with hearing aids and a weird accent.” It provoked a public outcry and raised awareness about the experiences of Nigerians living with deafness.
Since then, she has become an advocate for the inclusion of people with disabilities. In an interview with Zikoko, she opens up about her experiences attending concerts in Nigeria — and how she thinks they can be improved.
This is Toyosi Alexis’ story, as told to Dennis.
Burna Boy Performance: Dec 2019
I woke up to delicious cooking — jollof rice, salad, chicken. All my siblings were in the house. Some of my cousins had come to visit. It was the Christmas holiday, and later at night, we would go to watch Burna Boy perform. I was happy.
I am a fan and had been begging my parents throughout the holiday to allow me attend his concert, and they finally agreed.
When I was four, I was diagnosed with severe deafness in both ears. My mother was the first to suspect. She had been trying to call me, but I wasn’t responding. That’s when they took me to the hospital. Since then, I have worn hearing aids. As a child, they were bulky and drew stares. I hated them, and I hated having to wear them.
I wore a full face of makeup to watch Burna Boy perform. I didn’t have any expectations. I didn’t expect the event to be inclusive. I just wanted to see him do his thing on stage, surrounded by friends and family.
We stood in the VIP section at the front. I could hear the drums, too. They hit my ears, loud and vivacious. I was vibing. Burna had climbed the stage. And then, I realised I could not hear his voice.
I wear a Bluetooth hearing aid that is connected to my phone and it tunes out the noise so I can focus on what is most important. It automatically adjusts to my environment as needed — just like a noise-cancellation headphone would. But the music was so loud that I could not hear Burna singing. His voice had been tuned out by the noise.
I stood on a chair so I could at least see him. Later, my cousin lifted me on his shoulder, where I sat reading Burna’s lips. I was so happy.
It could have been worse.
A Concert: Dec 2019
In December 2019, my friend and I attended a concert. We had bought VIP tickets online and were trying to swap the receipts for passes. I could see the crowd getting out of control. The noise was getting louder. Concertgoers were getting excited and agitated. The line was getting longer.
Then I heard a loud bang.
In an instant, people rushed towards the gate. I was lost in the crowd. I couldn’t find my friend. Then, suddenly, someone pushed me, and I fell. A stampede was taking shape. Terrified and trapped on the ground, I started screaming for help.
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There are things strangers go out of their way to do for you that you never forget. What happened next was one of them. A young man grabbed me by the waist and helped lift me up. I was so grateful. I told him I had lost my friend, and he helped locate her. She was also on the floor, so he helped her up.
If I were a high-performing autistic person or someone in a wheelchair or blind, it could have been much worse.
Later, someone mentioned that the stage had collapsed, and the VIP area had no shelter. My hearing aid can withstand water, but for only less than a minute. If it had rained, my hearing aids would have spoilt.
I paid for the VIP because, for my safety, I need to be in secluded spaces at large events. So, I left the concert before the show even started.
Megan Thee Stallion in Lagos: Dec 2019
I have had a few decent concert experiences. Years ago, when Megan Thee Stallion was in Nigeria, someone had offered me a ticket to a table, and I accepted. It was really nice. I sat at the table in the Eko Hotel. I could pick and choose if I wanted to go closer to the stage. I could see her perform and lip-read if I needed to. I was not even a big Megan Thee Stallion fan, but it was a delight to be there.
A lack of inclusion at concerts in Nigeria
I was once having a conversation with a friend who is blind about a music show she had wanted to attend. When ticket sales went up, she went on the website to buy hers. She used the screen reader software on her phone. But the checkouts and other buttons were not properly labelled, so all the screen readers saw was “button.” The website was not inclusive. It was made only for people with sight.
Many times, I see show organisers and promoters post pictures of wheelchair ramps and digital assets, saying that their events are inclusive for disabled people. But you attend and it’s not the case. Once, I attended an event for people with deafness, where they shared free hearing aids. But even at that event, there was no sign language interpreter or captions on the slides.
Starting Adaptive Atelier
It’s one of the reasons why I started Adaptive Atelier. We are based in Lagos and the UK, and we want to help create a world that is more inclusive of the needs of disabled people. We have software that disabled people can use to customise websites and apps to fit their needs. We also want to create a platform where people can hire disabled people as consultants to help them make their events and businesses more inclusive.
In June, I am hosting an event for disabled people, and I made a version of the program in Braille so blind people can read it. I didn’t just go online and search for that. I had to hire someone living with blindness to consult on the project. This is the kind of empowerment I want for people living with disabilities.
A utopian music concert for disabled people
I have been thinking a lot about a utopia where music shows and concerts in Nigeria are inclusive for people with disabilities.
In this utopia, there would be a separate entrance for people with disabilities, where I would be greeted at the door by an aide who is trained to attend to my needs. I would have seating areas catered to my needs. The sound would be great. There would be sign language and captions on the screen — it would look like those fun lyric videos on YouTube with nice fonts. The aide would be by my side all night, just making sure I am safe.
That’s the dream.
