Adamorobe try a village into the Ghana where the historic exposure out-of a hereditary kind of deafness led to a high number of deaf society. Along side years, an area sign code came up, that is used between deaf and reading people in day to day life, rendering Adamorobe into the an alternate place of introduction away from deaf some one. not, inside 1975, a legislation are lead to reduce the number of deaf people within the Adamorobe: deaf individuals never marry one another to avoid deaf offspring. In the long run, so it rules threatens new linguistic and you will cultural range within this village where the accessibility sign code is omnipresent and you may in which deaf everyone is perceived as totally productive and you will worthwhile people in neighborhood. This information is prepared to several categories of stress from the town, Firstly, reading man’s anticipate and you will addition of one’s deaf people, instead of the latest want to live in a community with no (or shorter) deaf some body. Secondly, there clearly was a stress between deaf people’s subjection to, and you can resistance against, the law, this is certainly a stress that can be present in the newest kolla Г¶ver hГ¤r lifestyle from matchmaking between deaf people, and you may abortions whenever these unions end up in pregnancies.
step 1. Addition
Every-where [within the Adamorobe] the latest gong gong was beaten [to declare and spread some news]. I pondered: how it happened? Did some thing rating stolen? Performed someone score killed? However, you to definitely was not possible; the message is actually you to definitely deaf individuals dont marry each other. The latest gong gong is defeated and it is mentioned that deaf individuals have so you’re able to wed reading anyone. This new gong gong was outdone, “As deaf with deaf score students exactly who can’t tune in to, can’t hear, can’t listen to.” Ooohh we were surprised. Such a shame…The latest gong gong is outdone: wed hearing, wed reading. Which have hearing, perhaps not which have deaf. Almost everywhere the brand new gong gong is actually rung: “Get married reading, upcoming reading youngsters are created, reading is created, reading is produced. That is a, that’s right. Deaf deaf deaf some body every-where, no that’s not a.” The fresh gong gong are defeated…Such as for instance an embarrassment…(regret) [step one,2].
“Brand new Gong Gong Is Beaten” -Gooddamorobe: A “Deaf Community” within the Ghana and its own Marriage Prohibition to possess Deaf Partners
Inside offer, Adamorobe’s earliest deaf lady laments an old time. Into the 1975, during the first 12 months from their chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong introduced a rules-promulgated from the village by a good gong gong beater-your deaf people in Adamorobe are not permitted to get married one another since this would produce deaf offspring. Instead, they must orobe, deaf-reading unions tend to be less likely to offer forth pupils you to definitely try deaf.
Adamorobe was a community within the south Ghana where 41 deaf anyone live among 3500 reading villagers. This strangely high number off deaf villagers comes from new historical presence away from a “deaf gene,” an excellent Connexin twenty six R143W mutation which was most likely circulated in Adamorobe as a consequence of marriages within beginning Akan matrilineal clans, beginning in this new late 18th century . Typically, the necessity to communicate with both on thick sociocultural companies from Adamorobe keeps contributed to brand new development out-of a city sign code used by each other deaf and you can hearing some body. Adamorobe Signal Code (AdaSL) is known and you will utilized by all deaf people in Adamorobe and you can by a corner of one’s hearing population, who possess grown up seeing and ultizing the language, along with Akan, the verbal vocabulary . Therefore, Adamorobe is named “ mumfo krow ” in the Akan, definition “deaf town,” having because the number of individuals in the Adamorobe just who know sign vocabulary was high, people say you to definitely outsiders never automatically select who is deaf and you will who’s reading, hence genuinely believe that folks inside Adamorobe was deaf.