Alem Mumuni-The Neglected Hero

Born to peasant parents in the Garu -Tempane District of the Upper East Region of Ghana some 28 years ago, Alem Mumuni, who became disabled through poliomyelitis at the age of two, has really proven to the world today that disability is not inability.

He became disabled after walking normally for a year and had to crawl for 9 years before walking again with the aid of a wooden stick because clutches were not available at that time.

After several challenges, he has weathered the storm to achieve great feats not for himself alone but the nation as well.

He was a member of the Ghana Amputee National Team, the Black Challenge, that won the first-ever African Cup of Nations in Sierra Leone in 2007 but failed to arrive in Turkey on time to take part in the World Cup the same year. Undaunted by the physical challenge, he took to cycling in which he has raised the flag of Ghana very high.

Alem won Gold for Ghana in the C2 Road Race Division of Para cycling in Niger in May 2009 under very interesting circumstances.

“There was no direct vehicle going from Accra to Niger; I was thus compelled to go through Togo, where commercial vehicles going to Niger refused to carry my bicycle. I had to hire a taxi to Benin where I boarded a Niger-bound vehicle. I spent 24 hours before reaching Niger and was able to register for participation on 24th May 2009, on the eve of the opening ceremony. That was after I had got sponsorship from one Mallam Issah Yahaya, a contractor,” he narrated.

“I went without spare parts for my bicycle and it suffered two deflations. However, I placed second in 10km in 14 minutes 41 seconds in the trials.” In September of the same year, he placed 7th at the World Championship in Italy, competing as the only black or African among participants from 41 countries. In 2010, he defended his title in Burkina Faso by winning the C2 Road Race again, thereby registering Ghana as a member of UCI. The table below says it all as his name is attached to that of Ghana.

Date Date Competition Winner

26 Jun-27 Jun 2010 27 Jun 2010 Tandem B - Road Race COMPAORE (BUR)

26 Jun-27 Jun 2010 27 Jun 2010 H3 - Road Race SAWADOGO (BUR)

26 Jun-27 Jun 2010 27 Jun 2010 H4 - Road Race GASBEOGO (BUR)

26 Jun-27 Jun 2010 27 Jun 2010 C2 - Road Race ALEM (GHA)

In spite of this great achievement, among others, Alem Mumuni is still struggling to raise funds to attend numerous competitions he has been invited to participate in.

France: 21-24 April, Canada: 26-27 April and 29-30 April, Canada: 8-10 July, Denmark:8-11 September and Great Britain: October, all in this year.

“I have always been interested in cycling as a sport and have used it as a means to develop my fitness for football but there are limited opportunities in Ghana to compete in cycling. I have researched the sport of cycling thoroughly, found out what is required of me to reach a high level and have put in the work to train myself well. I think it is worthy, representing my country but more importantly acting as a role model for other people with a disability in Ghana and Africa as a whole,” he lamented.

He told The Daily Democrat in an exclusive interview that, “I continue to strive to be my best, I promote the role of sport for people with a disability and I am actively involved in trying to develop more sport opportunities for people with a disability in Ghana and Africa.”

Lined up for him this year are some events at which he would not only lift the flag of Ghana high will use to tell the story that has been his message over the years: “Together let us erase the wrong perception by our society that the disabled are SOCIAL PARASITES!”

It is the hope of The Daily Democrat that support would be forthcoming to help him lift the flag of Ghana at these events.