You could try & use the keyboard to initiate a reset such as this:
• Resetting the System Management Controller (SMC) on your Mac - Apple Support
This SMC reset may help because one of the items said to be correctable by use of it
includes backlighted keyboards in portable Apple computers. The other option if that
does not seem to work (try several times, follow instructions for your build portable)
then an appointment to visit to an Apple Store with Genius, for some inspection & or
basic test diagnostic, may be helpful to discover if there is a hardware problem or not.
If you have access to a USB keyboard, even one from a generic PC, that could work.
Only a few keys are mapped different enough to be a problem, & of course Mac users
that installed BootCamp partitions to run Windows, can use either Mac or PC keyboard.
•Keyboard mappings: Using PC keyboards on a Macintosh - Microsoft Support:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/970299
• Boot Camp: About keyboards and key assignment for Microsoft Windows - Apple Support
Should you end up with a wired USB non-Mac keyboard, check these two articles on
how to use the PC & Apple keyboards interchangeably & to identify model differences.
An external wired USB keyboard and mouse are helpful in troubleshooting several kind
of issues with any model of Mac, especially for those desktops with only BT peripherals.
In any event...
Good luck & happy computing! 🙂