Adamorobe are a town inside the Ghana where in actuality the historic exposure out-of a genetic variety of deafness resulted in many deaf people. Along side many years, a region sign language came up, that is used anywhere between deaf and you may reading members of day to day life, leaving Adamorobe into yet another place of addition away from deaf anybody. But not, in 1975, a laws is actually delivered to reduce what number of deaf somebody inside the Adamorobe: deaf some one try not to marry one another in order to avoid deaf offspring. In the long run, that it law threatens the latest linguistic and you can social variety within this community where in fact the accessibility sign vocabulary is actually omnipresent and denna artikel you can in which deaf men and women are considered fully energetic and you will deserving members of community. This post is structured to two categories of tensions throughout the town, To start with, hearing people’s desired and addition of the deaf society, rather than the desire to live-in a town and no (or shorter) deaf someone. Next, there clearly was a stress anywhere between deaf man’s contact with, and opposition against, regulations, it is a tension which are present in the latest life from relationship ranging from deaf partners, and you will abortions when these unions result in pregnancies.
step 1. Inclusion
Every where [in the Adamorobe] the brand new gong gong are outdone [to declare and you can spread particular information]. We pondered: what happened? Did anything get taken? Performed someone score murdered? However, one wasn’t the scenario; the message are one deaf somebody dont marry both. Brand new gong gong are defeated therefore is actually said that deaf individuals have to wed reading someone. New gong gong are beaten, “Once the deaf which have deaf get students just who can’t listen to, can’t listen to, can not tune in to.” Ooohh we were surprised. Such as for example an embarrassment…The latest gong gong is actually defeated: marry reading, get married hearing. Which have reading, perhaps not having deaf. Every where new gong gong is rung: “Wed hearing, next reading youngsters are created, hearing was born, hearing is produced. Which is an effective, that is right. Deaf deaf deaf anybody everywhere, no that isn’t an excellent.” The fresh new gong gong is actually beaten…Like a shame…(regret) [step one,2].
“New Gong Gong Was Beaten” -Adamorobe: Good “Deaf Town” during the Ghana and its particular Matrimony Ban to possess Deaf Lovers
In this estimate, Adamorobe’s earliest deaf lady laments an ancient time. Inside the 1975, from inside the first 12 months of their chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong introduced a rules-promulgated regarding village because of the an effective gong gong beater-the deaf people in Adamorobe aren’t permitted to marry both because this carry out bring about deaf offspring. Alternatively, they have to orobe, deaf-hearing unions are a lot less likely to promote forward pupils you to was deaf.
Adamorobe was a community in the southern Ghana where 41 deaf somebody live certainly one of 3500 hearing villagers. This surprisingly high number of deaf villagers stems from the fresh historic exposure regarding a beneficial “deaf gene,” a beneficial Connexin twenty-six R143W mutation which was most likely circulated inside Adamorobe compliment of marriages within beginning Akan matrilineal clans, from the new late eighteenth century . Historically, the requirement to keep in touch with one another regarding the heavy sociocultural communities out of Adamorobe have contributed to brand new development away from a neighbor hood sign vocabulary employed by each other deaf and you will hearing somebody. Adamorobe Sign Words (AdaSL) known and you will used by the deaf people in Adamorobe and you can because of the a large part of reading populace, with grown up viewing and ultizing the language, plus Akan, their spoken vocabulary . Therefore, Adamorobe is named “ mumfo krow ” in the Akan, definition “deaf community,” for since number of people for the Adamorobe which see signal language was highest, they say one to outsiders try not to immediately identify who is deaf and you can who is hearing, hence genuinely believe that everyone when you look at the Adamorobe is actually deaf.