Adamorobe is actually a village during the Ghana where historic presence out-of a genetic kind of deafness contributed to many deaf people. Over the ages, a city sign code came up, which is used anywhere between deaf and you will reading members of lifestyle, leaving Adamorobe toward a different place of introduction away from deaf someone. not, for the 1975, a rules is introduced to attenuate the amount of deaf somebody when you look at the Adamorobe: deaf somebody dont wed each other in order to prevent deaf offspring. In the long term, so it rules threatens the newest linguistic and you may cultural diversity within village where in fact the entry to indication code was omnipresent and in which deaf men and women are considered totally effective and you may deserving members of society. This information is prepared around a couple categories of tensions about community, First of all, reading man’s acceptance and you will introduction of your deaf people, instead of the fresh new want to are now living in a town with no (otherwise faster) deaf people. Next, there is certainly a tension anywhere between deaf man’s contact with, and you may opposition against, regulations, this is a tension which are often noticed in the brand new lives off relationships anywhere between deaf lovers, and you will abortions when such unions bring about pregnancies.
step one. Introduction
Everywhere [during the Adamorobe] the fresh new gong gong is actually beaten [in order to mention and you may bequeath specific development]. We questioned: what happened? Performed things rating stolen? Performed individuals score murdered? However, one was not the actual situation; the content is that deaf someone usually do not get married one another. The fresh new gong gong is beaten therefore try mentioned that deaf individuals have in order to get married hearing people. The new gong gong was defeated, “Given that deaf with deaf rating children exactly who are unable to pay attention to, are unable to hear, cannot hear.” Ooohh we were stunned. Eg a pity…This new gong gong is actually outdone: get married hearing, get married hearing. With hearing, not which have deaf. Every where brand new gong gong are rung: “Marry reading, upcoming hearing children are produced, hearing try created, hearing was created. Which is a, that is right. Deaf deaf deaf somebody everywhere, zero that isn’t a great.” New gong gong is actually beaten…Like a pity…(regret) [step one,2].
“The latest Gong Gong Is Outdone” -Adamorobe: A “Deaf Community” when you look at the Ghana and its particular Matrimony Ban to have Deaf Partners
In this quote, Adamorobe’s oldest deaf woman laments a historical time. In 1975, from inside the first 12 months regarding their chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong put a law-promulgated throughout the village by a beneficial gong gong beater-that the deaf people in Adamorobe are not permitted to wed one another because this would end up in deaf offspring. As an alternative, they want to orobe, deaf-reading unions are a lot less inclined to render forward children one to is actually deaf.
Adamorobe was a town inside south Ghana in which 41 deaf anybody real time among 3500 hearing MySpecialDates avbokar villagers. Which oddly large number regarding deaf villagers stems from the new historical exposure regarding good “deaf gene,” an excellent Connexin 26 R143W mutation which had been probably circulated in the Adamorobe courtesy marriage ceremonies within beginning Akan matrilineal clans, from new late 18th century . Usually, the necessity to talk to one another regarding heavy sociocultural networks out-of Adamorobe possess resulted in the fresh introduction from a neighborhood signal words employed by one another deaf and you will hearing someone. Adamorobe Indication Language (AdaSL) is famous and you will used by every deaf members of Adamorobe and you may by the a large part of hearing people, who have grown seeing and utilizing what, in addition to Akan, their verbal code . Ergo, Adamorobe is named “ mumfo krow ” during the Akan, definition “deaf community,” having because amount of people in the Adamorobe just who know signal code are high, they say one to outsiders never instantly select that is deaf and you can who’s hearing, and that believe that group when you look at the Adamorobe is deaf.