Due to a high prevalence of a hereditary kind of deafness, Adamorobe, a hamlet in the West African country of Ghana, is known as the “deaf community.” But, as a result of the misfortune fate dealt them, the community has discovered a creative solution to normalize their inherited condition by creating their own sign language, which both the deaf and hearing residents of the village have accepted. Compared to the formal standard sign language used in deaf schools, this is very different.
The locals who are deaf have faced other difficulties as well. To help lower the population of deaf people, one of the leaders of Adamorobe established a law that forbade marriage between the deaf. This law only succeeded in endangering the linguistic and cultural thread that kept the community’s social fabric intact. The life of sign language rests on the impression that deaf people are productive and significant members of society.
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Urbanization has recently posed a fresh threat to the Adamorobe people’s ability to survive. At the village’s entrance, a new business has emerged as a result of the growing need for stones to supply the construction industry. Tons of stones are transported from an open quarry in Adamorobe, generating worries that these strangers would distort the deaf community’s culture. The practice of stopping work on the land on Thursdays to give the earth goddess time to rest is one of the people’s most cherished traditions. This gives them a chance to trade in the goods that have been harvested from the farms during that time.
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According to deaf education specialist Stan Dery, the inherited condition that the community’s members have makes them special. The legend that the town was once ruled by a spiritual deaf god who would turn the community’s offspring deaf if their parents disobeyed him provides one explanation for this problem. Unrhythmically, the keeper of the deaf deity dances when she is possessed, which is how this is described.
According to a second tale, there is a stream outside of town whose water is not intended for domestic use and where residents are not permitted to enter on some days. Children born to those who violate this taboo are deaf.
The third argument was that a young, attractive deaf man who recently moved to the town was responsible for the community’s deafness. Regardless of his situation, every female wanted to marry him. It is thought that this outsider cast a curse on the town that has affected generations of Adamorobe people, causing them to go deaf.
The fourth and final urban legend claims that the Adamorobe people fought a nearby town. To help them win the war, the people asked the totems for help. After the conflict, the animals made the decision to appear as youngsters who were born deaf rather than change back into their natural state.
According to Victoria Anna Sophie Nyst’s paper, A Descriptive Analysis of Adamorobe Sign Language in Ghana, research conducted by Sir Alexander Drummond in 1961 showed that the community’s magnetic nature, which consistently draws the same like-minded people, is the reason why deaf people live there. A subsequent medical survey revealed that the community’s deafness is genetic rather than the result of deaf people migrating there.
In order to communicate effectively with both hearing and deaf people, they developed the Adamorobe Sign language, which is interwoven with the regional Akan language. The fact that hearing persons may use sign language with ease is one of this language’s interesting characteristics. The language, which differs from what is taught in deaf schools, was formed in the 18th century, according to oral tradition.
