“This new Gong Gong Was Defeated” —Adamorobe: A great “Deaf Community” during the Ghana as well as Wedding Ban to possess Deaf Partners

Adamorobe was a village inside Ghana where in actuality the historical exposure off a genetic sorts of deafness led to a lot of deaf people. Across the years, a neighbor hood signal vocabulary came up, that is used ranging from deaf and you will reading people in lifestyle, leaving Adamorobe on the a different host to addition from deaf people. Yet not, during the 1975, a law was lead to minimize exactly how many deaf anyone within the Adamorobe: deaf some body usually do not get married each other to avoid deaf offspring. In the long run, that it laws threatens the linguistic and cultural variety inside town where in fact the use of signal words is omnipresent and in which deaf people are considered totally effective and you will deserving members of area. This article is arranged around a couple categories of stress on the village, To start with, reading man’s invited and you will introduction of your own deaf population, rather than new need to live in a town with no (otherwise faster) deaf people. Secondly, there clearly was a tension ranging from deaf mans experience of, and you may resistance up against, regulations, this is exactly a tension which may be found in this new lives out-of matchmaking ranging from deaf couples, and you may abortions whenever such unions end up in pregnancies.

step one. Introduction

Every where [when you look at the Adamorobe] the newest gong gong was defeated [in order to declare and you may spread some information]. I wondered: what happened? Did one thing score stolen? Performed people get slain? However, you to definitely was not the fact; the content are one deaf anybody try not to wed each other. New gong gong was outdone plus it is mentioned that deaf people have so you can get married hearing some one. The latest gong gong try defeated, “Once the deaf with deaf score people who can’t listen to, are unable to pay attention to, are unable to pay attention to.” Ooohh we were stunned. Such as an embarrassment…Brand new gong gong was beaten: get married hearing, get married hearing. With hearing, maybe not that have deaf. Every-where the fresh gong gong try rung: “Get married hearing, upcoming hearing youngsters are produced, reading are born, reading are produced. That’s a beneficial, that is right. Deaf deaf deaf people every-where, no that is not a great.” The latest gong gong is actually defeated…Such as a shame…(regret) [step one,2].

“New Gong Gong Was Defeated” -Gooddamorobe: A beneficial “Deaf Village” from inside the Ghana as well as Matrimony Prohibition for Deaf Couples

Contained in this estimate, Adamorobe’s eldest deaf woman laments a historical minute. Into the 1975, during the first year from their chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong lead a law-promulgated throughout the community by the a beneficial gong gong beater-the deaf people in Adamorobe commonly allowed to marry both as this carry out cause deaf offspring. As an alternative, they should orobe, deaf-hearing unions are a lot less likely to bring forward children one try deaf.

Adamorobe is actually a village inside southern Ghana where 41 deaf individuals live among 3500 hearing villagers. That it unusually high number from deaf villagers is due to the fresh historical presence off a beneficial “deaf gene,” good Connexin 26 R143W mutation which had been most likely circulated during the Adamorobe due to marriage ceremonies involving the beginning Akan matrilineal clans, beginning in this new late 18th century . Over the years, the necessity sГ¶t Japan-flicka to correspond with both from the heavy sociocultural sites out-of Adamorobe have contributed to the latest development regarding an area sign vocabulary utilized by each other deaf and you may reading some body. Adamorobe Sign Vocabulary (AdaSL) is well known and you may employed by all the deaf members of Adamorobe and you may of the a corner of the hearing society, who possess grown up seeing and using the words, as well as Akan, their spoken language . Hence, Adamorobe is called “ mumfo krow ” from inside the Akan, definition “deaf community,” to have while the number of people into the Adamorobe who discover sign vocabulary try high, people say you to definitely outsiders never automatically choose who’s deaf and you may who is hearing, and therefore think that visitors in Adamorobe is actually deaf.