Deaf Link Uganda | Commentary

Commentary.

This poem, written in 1997 was inspired by my visits to various Deaf communities in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Zimbabwe. I spent most of the year traveling within East Africa to better understand the experiences and lives of Deaf people. I was deeply appalled, disheartened and disturbed by the deprivation, isolation they suffered - the verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse they faced almost on a daily basis. Many shared personal stories of being tormented and victimised even by their own family relatives - simply because of being Deaf.

In Gitarama (Rwanda) I witnessed incidents where people yelled out abusive and derogatory words towards the Deaf and some threw stones at us as we walked along the road. The Deaf lived in absolute fear – especially at night.
They told of Deaf friends who were killed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda – victims of ethnic cleansing that they knew nothing about. Deaf children abandoned by their families because they would make noises (which they couldn’t hear) as they tried to escape with their families – any noise would reveal their hiding place and an entire family would be caught and massacred – so families with deaf or disabled family members abandoned them.

In all these countries discrimination against the Deaf resonates and continues to be rampant. With no laws to protect them, their vulnerability to social injustices are apparent.

My visit to Zimbabwe ended abruptly as I received the terrible news of my mother’s death, hence my hasty return home for her burial. Shortly after the last funeral rites, I wrote this poem in the most traumatic times of my life. Later in the year, I returned to England where I was invited to the BBC World Service radio broadcast: Network Africa to talk about the lives of Deaf people in Africa. I read a verse from this poem during the broadcast in November 1997.

This poem depicts the experiences of the Deaf people I met, especially females. It is a poem of celebration, triumph and courage – but most especially, it is a poem of hope in the midst of suffering. Therefore, I invite you to read with pride. It is dedicated to all whose experiences are similar: deaf, hard of hearing, disabled or hearing. That we shall not lose hope, but keep the courage to fight for a better future!

Background scenery

This photograph was taken by a colleague of mine, Alan Jasansky from the Czech Republic. Alan is a prolific photographer – it is his first time to Uganda and he loves this country for all its beauty. It is sunrise over Lake Victoria in Jinja and very nearby: in the Great lake itself – is the Source of the River Nile: which begins its journey in Uganda, meandering its way to Egypt and spilling into the Mediterranean Sea.

The silhouette is of a young African woman emerging from the lake to collect water – which she carries in a jerricane on her head – this is a typical way of life. Many girls and women rise up before sunrise to begin the chores of the day: they are the Spring of Life: the backbone of society, yet many remain invisible, unrecognised and considered inferior – they exist, only as a silhouette – without identity. The combination of the poem and photograph is deeply symbolic of the lives of Deaf people in African countries – yet the beauty of the sun is almost only experienced at Sunrise!

	Commentary. This poem, written in 1997 was inspired by my visits to various Deaf communities in Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya and Zimbabwe. I spent most of the year traveling within East Africa to better understand the experiences and lives of Deaf people. I was deeply appalled, disheartened and disturbed by the deprivation, isolation they suffered - the verbal, physical, emotional and sexual abuse they faced almost on a daily basis. Many shared personal stories of being tormented and victimised even by their own family relatives - simply because of being Deaf. In Gitarama (Rwanda) I witnessed incidents where people yelled out abusive and derogatory words towards the Deaf and some threw stones at us as we walked along the road. The Deaf lived in absolute fear – especially at night. They told of Deaf friends who were killed during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda – victims of ethnic cleansing that they knew nothing about. Deaf children abandoned by their families because they would make noises (which they couldn’t hear) as they tried to escape with their families – any noise would reveal their hiding place and an entire family would be caught and massacred – so families with deaf or disabled family members abandoned them. In all these countries discrimination against the Deaf resonates and continues to be rampant. With no laws to protect them, their vulnerability to social injustices are apparent. My visit to Zimbabwe ended abruptly as I received the terrible news of my mother’s death, hence my hasty return home for her burial. Shortly after the last funeral rites, I wrote this poem in the most traumatic times of my life. Later in the year, I returned to England where I was invited to the BBC World Service radio broadcast: Network Africa to talk about the lives of Deaf people in Africa. I read a verse from this poem during the broadcast in November 1997. This poem depicts the experiences of the Deaf people I met, especially females. It is a poem of celebration, triumph and courage – but most especially, it is a poem of hope in the midst of suffering. Therefore, I invite you to read with pride. It is dedicated to all whose experiences are similar: deaf, hard of hearing, disabled or hearing. That we shall not lose hope, but keep the courage to fight for a better future! Background scenery This photograph was taken by a colleague of mine, Alan Jasansky from the Czech Republic. Alan is a prolific photographer – it is his first time to Uganda and he loves this country for all its beauty. It is sunrise over Lake Victoria in Jinja and very nearby: in the Great lake itself – is the Source of the River Nile: which begins its journey in Uganda, meandering its way to Egypt and spilling into the Mediterranean Sea. The silhouette is of a young African woman emerging from the lake to collect water – which she carries in a jerricane on her head – this is a typical way of life. Many girls and women rise up before sunrise to begin the chores of the day: they are the Spring of Life: the backbone of society, yet many remain invisible, unrecognised and considered inferior – they exist, only as a silhouette – without identity. The combination of the poem and photograph is deeply symbolic of the lives of Deaf people in African countries – yet the beauty of the sun is almost only experienced at Sunrise!

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