Adamorobe is a town inside Ghana where historic presence regarding an inherited variety of deafness led to a lot of deaf population. Across the many years, a neighborhood indication words emerged, that is used ranging from deaf and you may reading members of everyday life, rendering Adamorobe to the another place of introduction out of deaf someone. not, in 1975, a law is delivered to attenuate what amount of deaf some body for the Adamorobe: deaf some one do not wed each other to avoid deaf offspring. In the long term, that it rules threatens the latest linguistic and you may cultural assortment within this town in which the use of sign code try omnipresent and in which deaf folks are regarded as fully active and worthwhile members of area. This post is planned to a couple of sets of stress on village, Firstly, hearing mans anticipate and you may introduction of your deaf society, instead of the latest wish to are now living in a community and no (otherwise smaller) deaf someone. Secondly, you will find a stress between deaf people’s exposure to, and resistance up against, legislation, this is exactly a stress which is often noticed in the fresh new lifestyle from matchmaking ranging from deaf people, and you can abortions when these types of unions end in pregnancies.
Almost everywhere [inside the Adamorobe] this new gong gong are defeated [so you can declare and you may spread specific information]. We pondered: what happened? Performed some thing rating taken? Did anybody get slain? But you to was not the case; the message is actually you to deaf someone you should never get married each other. The latest gong gong are outdone and it is actually said that deaf folks have in order to wed hearing some body. The newest gong gong are outdone, “Due to the fact deaf that have deaf get people which cannot pay attention to, cannot hear, are unable to hear.” Ooohh we were surprised. Such as for instance a shame…This new gong gong try defeated: wed reading, wed hearing. Which have hearing, not having deaf. Every where the gong gong is rung: “Get married reading, after that reading youngsters are created, hearing is actually created, reading is actually born. That’s a beneficial, that is right. Deaf deaf deaf people everywhere, no that is not a.” The new gong gong are beaten…Like a shame…(regret) [step one,2].
In this quote, Adamorobe’s eldest deaf woman laments an ancient time. For the 1975, inside first 12 months away from his chieftaincy, Nana Kwaakwaa Asiampong lead a law-promulgated from the community because of the a beneficial gong gong beater-that deaf people in Adamorobe aren’t permitted to marry each other since this manage lead to deaf offspring. Instead, they should orobe, deaf-hearing unions are a lot less likely to want to render ahead children one to are deaf.
Adamorobe try a community into the south Ghana in which 41 deaf individuals alive certainly 3500 hearing villagers. This strangely large number regarding deaf villagers is due to the fresh new historic visibility from a “deaf gene,” an effective Connexin twenty-six R143W mutation that was most likely circulated from inside the Adamorobe courtesy marriage ceremonies between the beginning Akan matrilineal clans, beginning in brand new later eighteenth century . Historically, the necessity to talk to each other from the dense sociocultural networks off Adamorobe have resulted in new emergence of a district signal vocabulary used by each other deaf and you may hearing individuals. Adamorobe Indication Language (AdaSL) known and utilized by all the deaf people in Adamorobe and you will because of the a corner of reading inhabitants, that grown watching and utilizing the language, plus Akan, their verbal vocabulary . Therefore, Adamorobe is named “ mumfo krow ” for the Akan, meaning “deaf village,” to own just like the number of individuals when you look at the Adamorobe whom understand sign language try higher, they say that outsiders dont instantly select who is deaf and that is reading, and therefore believe that visitors inside the Adamorobe are deaf.