Blind Moses making sweet music

People

By JOACHIM LOLOK
UPNG Journalism Student
MOSES Leuve maybe blind but he can play the ukulele, tambourine and harmonica melodiously just like any normal person.
One will not miss the beautiful music he produces in front of a shop in Kokopo, East New Britain on most days. It is his bread and butter, so to speak.
Moses Leuve, 68, is from the Bana district of Bougainville.
He has four children. Two had passed away.
Moses was born normal with a perfect eyesight. But around the age of three, he started experiencing itchiness in his eyes.
He used to cry a lot and the constant rubbing of his eyes resulted in them becoming infected.

“ It really is hard having to support your children when you’re blind and with no proper education.”
Security guard Nick Puro with Moses Leuve, a blind musician from Bougainville in front of a shop in Kokopo.

Everyone at home did not think too much about it.
But it developed to a stage where his vision became badly affected. And by the time his parents decided to take him to hospital for treatment after he was complaining of so much pain in his eyes, he could no longer see.
Life became unbearable for Moses. He was hapless.
He recalls that in 1984, he prayed and asked God to show him a way to financially support himself and his children.
Leuve thought about trying his hand in music to help his family.
“It really is hard having to support your children when you’re blind and with no proper education.”
Moses is thankful that God showed him a way to look after himself and his family.
He has mastered the skill of playing the musical instruments over time.
He sits at the front of a shop and plays his music hoping that passers-by will drop a coin or two into the bowl in front of him.
He relies on the ukulele, tambourine and harmonica as his working tools.
He has been to other parts of the country such as New Ireland, West New Britain, Madang, Morobe, Mt Hagen, East New Britain and Bougainville to market his music and make money.
Whatever he makes a day is enough to make ends meet.
He rarely has breakfast in the morning because nobody is there to help him prepare his meals.
So he plays his music the whole day with an empty stomach. He accepts whatever is offered by people passing by to eat and drink.
Through his eight-hour music sessions five days a week, he raises money to pay for his children’s school fees.
But as they progress in their education, the strain on him to financially support all of them grows.
He had to withdraw one of his sons attending the Buin Secondary School to concentrate on financially supporting another son now doing his final year studying Theology at the Pacific Adventist University in Port Moresby.
Moses wants to support all his children but circumstances are forcing him to make some tough decisions as regards his family.
As for his one-man band, he needs a foot-drum to complete his set. He hopes some kind soul will help him get one to make his band complete.
Moses is confident he can play all four instruments at the same time and hopes to continue improving the music he produces so that more people can enjoy it.
He has to do it for his family.