A visually impaired 13-year-old girl from Dagenham is set to perform in the international final of a song contest.

Izuchi Okorie will represent the UK in the inaugural International Low-Vision Song Contest (ILVSC) - a competition similar to Eurovision but aimed at visually impaired musicians from around the world.

Her spoken word poem Angry Black Girl, which is set to original music, is inspired by the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter movement.

“My poem is inspired by the microaggressions that black and ethnic minority groups face on a daily basis,” Izuchi said.

“The writing process wasn’t hard because the topic is close to my heart.

“It was easy for me to write it, and after I got the first paragraph done, my pen just flowed.”

Izuchi will perform her piece in the final on May 21 with Rupert Mountjoy, her visually-impaired mentor and musical collaborator.

She wrote the poem for the UK selection round recently hosted by Look UK, a charity supporting visually impaired young people and their families.

Izuchi and Rupert met through the online youth forum run by Look during the pandemic and he encouraged her to enter the competition.

Look CEO Charlotte Carson said: "At just 13, (Izuchi's) incredible piece is so reflective of the times we are living through - and the double discrimination that can be faced by young people who are both blind and black.

"It is so important we start talking about race and disability, and ways to help young people find their voice."

Izuchi, who started writing poetry when she was nine, has an eye condition called Nystagmus, in which the eyes make repetitive, uncontrolled movements that can affect vision, balance, coordination and depth perception.

Her message to other young visually impaired artists, who might feel held back from expressing themselves, was simple.

“Don’t limit yourself,” Izuchi said.

“Use anything as inspiration. As artists, we have to create so if one way isn’t open, there’ll always be another – we just have to find it.

"Don’t be afraid.”

Visit https://www.dbsv.org/ilsc.html to watch the ILVSC final live from 6pm this Friday, May 21. A link to the online voting will be displayed during the show.