“Brand new Gong Gong Is Beaten” —Gooddamorobe: A “Deaf Town” inside Ghana and its own Wedding Prohibition having Deaf Partners

“Brand new Gong Gong Is Beaten” —Gooddamorobe: A “Deaf Town” inside Ghana and its own Wedding Prohibition having Deaf Partners

Adamorobe are a village from inside the Ghana in which the historic exposure away from a hereditary particular deafness led to many deaf society. Over the ages, a neighbor hood sign words emerged, which is used ranging from deaf and hearing people in lifestyle, helping to make Adamorobe into another host to addition regarding deaf people. Yet not, into the 1975, a rules try introduced to minimize exactly how many deaf some one within the Adamorobe: deaf some body try not to wed both in order to avoid deaf offspring. In the long term, that it legislation threatens the fresh linguistic and you can cultural range within village where in actuality the usage of sign vocabulary is omnipresent and in which deaf men and women are perceived as totally effective and worthy people in area. This information is planned doing several sets of stress on the village, First of all, reading people’s desired and inclusion of one’s deaf inhabitants, versus brand new desire to live in a village and no (or faster) deaf some body. Subsequently, there is a stress ranging from deaf people’s subjection to, and you can opposition against, regulations, this can be a stress and this can be found in the newest lifestyle from dating between deaf couples, and you will abortions whenever these types of unions end up in pregnancies.

step 1. Inclusion

Every-where [inside Adamorobe] new gong gong try outdone [in order to announce and you can give specific reports]. I wondered: what happened? Performed one thing get stolen? Performed anybody score slain? However, you to definitely was not the actual situation; the content are one deaf some one never get married both. The gong gong was defeated also it is actually said that deaf folks have to get married hearing people. The new gong gong are beaten, “Because deaf which have deaf get children whom can’t hear, can not pay attention to, can not tune in to.” Ooohh we had been surprised. Such a pity…The fresh gong gong is outdone: marry reading, marry hearing. Having reading, maybe not that have deaf. Almost everywhere the fresh tyska brud gong gong try rung: “Wed reading, following hearing youngsters are born, hearing are born, hearing try born. That’s a beneficial, that is correct. Deaf deaf deaf someone every where, zero that isn’t an effective.” The newest gong gong was beaten…Such as a shame…(regret) [1,2].

“The fresh Gong Gong Are Defeated” -A greatdamorobe: A good “Deaf Community” inside the Ghana as well as Relationships Ban to have Deaf Lovers

Contained in this price, Adamorobe’s oldest deaf lady laments an ancient moment. For the 1975, inside first year out of their chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong put a law-promulgated on community from the a great gong gong beater-that the deaf people in Adamorobe are not permitted to marry both since this carry out end up in deaf offspring. Instead, they should orobe, deaf-hearing unions are a lot less inclined to render ahead students one try deaf.

Adamorobe try a town when you look at the southern area Ghana where 41 deaf some one alive certainly one of 3500 reading villagers. That it strangely high number out-of deaf villagers is due to the new historic visibility regarding a “deaf gene,” an effective Connexin twenty six R143W mutation that has been most likely released in the Adamorobe compliment of marriage ceremonies involving the founding Akan matrilineal clans, from brand new later eighteenth century . Over the years, the necessity to correspond with each other throughout the thicker sociocultural systems of Adamorobe enjoys lead to new development regarding a district sign words used by each other deaf and you can reading some body. Adamorobe Signal Code (AdaSL) is well known and employed by all deaf members of Adamorobe and you can by the a corner of your hearing people, that have grown up viewing and making use of the words, as well as Akan, its verbal words . Hence, Adamorobe is called “ mumfo krow ” inside Akan, meaning “deaf community,” to have as number of people during the Adamorobe exactly who understand indication code is highest, people say that outsiders don’t immediately select who’s deaf and you will that is reading, and this believe that visitors inside Adamorobe is deaf.

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