“The latest Gong Gong Is Beaten” —A greatdamorobe: Good “Deaf Village” in the Ghana and its particular Relationship Prohibition to own Deaf Lovers
Adamorobe is actually a town from inside the Ghana where historical visibility of an inherited types of deafness contributed to many deaf populace. Over the centuries, a region signal vocabulary emerged, that is used ranging from deaf and hearing people in lifestyle, rendering Adamorobe for the another place of inclusion from deaf some one. Yet not, in the 1975, a legislation are delivered to attenuate the number of deaf letar efter en fru some body during the Adamorobe: deaf people usually do not get married one another in order to avoid deaf offspring. Ultimately, so it laws threatens brand new linguistic and you will social assortment in this community where in fact the access to indication vocabulary are omnipresent and where deaf individuals are perceived as completely active and you can worthwhile members of community. This post is prepared as much as several categories of tensions regarding the community, First and foremost, reading people’s desired and you will inclusion of deaf populace, in the place of the fresh new want to inhabit a community no (otherwise reduced) deaf some body. Next, there’s a stress anywhere between deaf mans experience of, and you will opposition against, the law, this is certainly a stress which can be seen in the fresh new existence away from matchmaking between deaf people, and you will abortions whenever this type of unions cause pregnancies.
1. Addition
Every where [in the Adamorobe] the new gong gong is actually beaten [to mention and bequeath certain information]. I pondered: what happened? Performed one thing rating stolen? Did somebody get killed? But that wasn’t your situation; the message are one deaf individuals don’t wed one another. The new gong gong was beaten and it is actually mentioned that deaf individuals have to help you marry reading anyone. The brand new gong gong was beaten, “As the deaf that have deaf get college students exactly who can’t hear, are unable to tune in to, can’t tune in to.” Ooohh we were surprised. Such a shame…The newest gong gong are defeated: get married hearing, get married hearing. Which have hearing, not that have deaf. Every-where this new gong gong try rung: “Get married reading, upcoming hearing children are born, hearing are created, hearing are produced. That is a, that is correct. Deaf deaf deaf some one almost everywhere, no that’s not an excellent.” The new gong gong was outdone…Like an embarrassment…(regret) [1,2].
“The latest Gong Gong Was Outdone” -A greatdamorobe: Good “Deaf Village” in the Ghana and its particular Relationships Ban to own Deaf Lovers
In this quote, Adamorobe’s eldest deaf lady laments an ancient second. From inside the 1975, inside first year out-of his chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong produced a laws-promulgated throughout the town by the a gong gong beater-that deaf members of Adamorobe are not permitted to get married one another since this do cause deaf offspring. Rather, they have to orobe, deaf-reading unions are much less likely to want to provide forward children you to definitely is actually deaf.
Adamorobe are a town in southern area Ghana in which 41 deaf people alive among 3500 reading villagers. That it oddly lot off deaf villagers is due to this new historical presence away from a good “deaf gene,” a Connexin 26 R143W mutation which was probably released from inside the Adamorobe because of marriages within founding Akan matrilineal clans, from the fresh later eighteenth century . Over the years, the requirement to keep in touch with both from the dense sociocultural networks out of Adamorobe has actually lead to the new development out-of a neighbor hood indication words used by each other deaf and reading individuals. Adamorobe Indication Vocabulary (AdaSL) is known and you may used by all of the deaf people in Adamorobe and you may from the a corner of your own hearing people, with grown seeing and utilizing the words, including Akan, the spoken words . For this reason, Adamorobe is known as “ mumfo krow ” within the Akan, definition “deaf town,” having while the amount of people within the Adamorobe just who understand indication words is highest, people say you to definitely outsiders usually do not automatically choose who’s deaf and you can who is hearing, and therefore genuinely believe that visitors in the Adamorobe are deaf.