Toma Umu, a Nigerian artist and disability inclusion advocate living with cerebral palsy, is using her feet to create colourful paintings and inspire others to look beyond physical limitations.
Unable to use her hands because of her condition, Umu discovered her ability to use her legs out of necessity. When there was nobody available to feed her, she began learning to feed herself with her toes, gradually developing greater control through practice.
What started as a way to become more independent eventually opened the door to an artistic journey.
Her late friend, Adeyinka, recognized her potential and encouraged her to try painting after seeing how effectively she could use her legs. That suggestion changed Umu’s life and introduced her to a creative outlet through which she could express her thoughts, experiences and appreciation of nature.
Although Adeyinka died in 2016, Umu continues to cherish the impact her friend made on her life.
Finding Inspiration in Nature
Umu draws much of her inspiration from nature, particularly its colours, patterns and diversity. Through her paintings, she seeks to capture the beauty of the world around her and communicate messages of hope.
Her creativity also extends to using different materials, including threads, to explore human experiences and perspectives.
One of her works, inspired by a discussion about whether people living with disabilities experience love, used different threads to represent the varied paths people take through life.
For Umu, art is more than painting pictures. It is a means of communicating ideas and showing that people can express themselves in different ways.
Education Despite the Doubts
Beyond her artistic achievements, Umu has pursued education despite facing discouragement from people who doubted her abilities because of her physical impairment.
With the support of people who believed in her, she obtained a National Certificate in Education in Special and Adult Education from the College of Education, Oyo. She later earned a degree in Early Childhood Education from the National Open University of Nigeria.
Her academic journey, she explained, challenged assumptions that her condition would prevent her from learning, writing or achieving her ambitions.
Challenging Society’s Perception of Disability
Umu is also committed to changing how society views people living with disabilities. Through public speaking and advocacy, she encourages people to recognize individual abilities rather than define others solely by their physical conditions.
She believes parents, caregivers and communities have important roles to play in helping people discover their talents.
According to her, encouragement and support can help individuals recognize possibilities they might not have discovered on their own.
Her message is particularly directed at people who struggle with self-confidence because of their circumstances: accept yourself, recognize what you can do and refuse to allow other people’s opinions to determine your future.
Through her paintings, educational achievements and advocacy, Toma Umu is demonstrating that physical limitations do not erase creativity, ambition or the ability to make a meaningful contribution to society.
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