Deaf cultures and Sign Languages of the world: Ghana (Ghana)

Created 10 April 2000, links updated monthly with the help of LinkAlarm.

Ghanaian flag David Bar-TzurGhanaian flag

map of Ghana

Flag: World flag database.
Map: Perry-Castañeda Library Map Collection.

For a quick, interesting resource for facts about this and other countries,
try Mystic Planet - The New Age directory of Planet Earth.

Note: A flag next to a link shows what language the website is in. If it is followed by this icon: (video camera: This links to a video), it is a video in that spoken language. A flag followed by Sign Language iconmeans it is in the sign language of that country. globe (international icon)Sign Language iconmeans there is International Gesture.

Deaf advocacy and politics Deaf and social services Deaf culture Deaf education & youth Deaf health
Deaf history and current events Deaf oppression & liberation Ghanaian (or Ghana) Sign Language Ghanaian (or Ghana) Sign Language dictionaries Organizations
Religion & Deafness

Deaf advocacy and politics

DeafTODAY. (2003, September 24). Deaf people have the right to information. The government is determined to address problems associated with the physically disabled to ensure that their rights were recognised, Nana Akomea, Minister of Information said on Wednesday. He said government would assist the disabled to be able to participate fully in various fields of human endeavour. Nana Akomea gave the assurance in a speech read for him at a press conference organized by the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) to usher in the celebration of the International Week of the Deaf.

Deaf and social services

DeafTODAY. (2004, May 9). Government urged to set up ministry for disabled. A call has gone to the government for the setting up of a special Ministry for the disabled. Evangelist Sam Williams, deaf preacher of the circle branch of the Church of Christ in Accra, who made the call, said this would enable the government focus on the people with disabilities with reference to their problems and contributions to national development.

Deaf culture

Gehörgeschädigte in Ghana.German flag

International Bibliography of Sign Language - Ghana.

World Deaf directory - Ghana.

Deaf education & youth

DeafTODAY.

golden marble bullet(2005, March 31). Jamasi School for the Deaf gets Anapuna salt. The Ashanti School for the Deaf at Jamasi in the Afigya-Sekyere District has been presented with a quantity of "Anapuna" salt and cash totalling three million cedis. "Afikaa", a soap manufacturing company made the donation to the school.

golden marble bullet(2004, October 14). Oguaa School for the Deaf gets new center. The Cape Coast School for the Deaf has began a post-junior secondary school vocational training programme for the deaf in batik and tie-dye production, catering, tailoring, carpentry as well as in computer literacy.

golden marble bullet(2004, September 5). Azumah Nelson gives to two specialised institutions. Barima Azumah Nelson, Ghana's boxing legend has appealed to philanthropists, public and private firms and religious organisations to give their maximum support to specialised educational institutions in the country to enable them to operate more effectively. He made the appeal, when he presented 10 million cedis cheque each to the Ekuasi Twin City Special School for the Mentally Handicapped and the Sekondi School for the Deaf at separate ceremonies at Ekuasi and Sekondi on Saturday.

golden marble bullet(2004, April 21). Mamponghene donates to Ashanti School For The Deaf. Daasebre Osei Bonsu II, paramount chief of Asante-Mampong, has on behalf of the Mampong Traditional Council donated a cheque for five million cedis to the Ashanti School for the Deaf at Jamasi as its contribution towards the construction of a new library for the school.

golden marble bullet(2004, February 11). Project on School for the Deaf is on course- Minister. Mr. Joe Donkor, Deputy Minister of Education on Wednesday said the construction of the Girl's Dormitory block of the Gbeogo School for the Deaf in the Upper East Region has been awarded on contract to Messrs Pusab Enterprise of Bolgatanga since December 2002.

golden marble bullet(2004, January 17). 'Telefood' project for Cape Coast school for the deaf inaugurated. The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) is sponsoring the project, which consists of grasscutter rearing, a piggery and the cultivation of assorted vegetables as part of its 'Telefood and Growing Connections Project'. The project, is aimed at helping students of the school to acquire practical knowledge and skills, to enable them to earn their living after school, and it is at the same time, to supplement their nutritional needs.

Dzadze, H.

golden marble bullet(2005, May 6). Community involvement. This drawing was created by Harry Dzadze from Sekondi School for the Deaf, PO Box 340, Sekondi, Ghana. Harry explains: "As most schools in the developing countries were built by the communities it can be said that the schools belong to the communities, hence the need for the various groups in the community to be actively involved so that the desired results are achieved (such as education for all children, provision of educational facilities, and awareness of the importance of education)."

golden marble bullet(2004, November 24). Teacher education and education for all. This diagram was created by Harry Dzadze from Sekondi School for the Deaf, PO Box 340, Sekondi, Ghana. Harry explains: "The factors in each box would help towards the realisation of our objective (inclusive education), if governments and stakeholders would use these factors in planning strategies for the education of their citizens."

NDCS. (2004, April 13). Training for teachers and parents of deaf children. GNAD are providing sign language training for teachers and parents of deaf children in the Eastern Region of Ghana

YAWMOSES1986's Videos.Ghanaian flagSign Language iconWebmaster: This YouTube contributor is from Germany, but the videos are from the Ashanti School for the Deaf.

Deaf health

DeafTODAY. (2004, February 21). Cape Deaf gets AIDS awareness club. Mr Alexander Ofori Kennedy, executive director of International Aid Agency (IAA), a local NGO on Friday stressed the need for those with hearing impairments in the country to be wholly involved in AIDS awareness programmes... Mr Kennedy made the call when he inaugurated the 'Stepping Stones Club', an HIV/AIDS awareness society, for the Cape Coast school for the Deaf, at a ceremony, at Cape Coast.

Ghana Regional News. (2003, April 3). Govt urged to provide interpreters for deaf at hospitals. Mr Peter Donkor, Minister in-charge of the Deaf Ministry of the Asafo branch of the Church of Christ in Kumasi, has called on the government to provide interpreters for the deaf at the hospitals that will be designated for implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Deaf history and current events

Miles, M. (2005). Deaf people living and communication in African histories, c. 960s - 1960s. There is strong documentary evidence that deaf or hearing impaired men and women, girls and boys, did occupy social space and took roles across the full spectrum of life throughout Africa in earlier centuries, living lives like everyone else and also having some different experiences. Traces and signs of deaf people appear in many sorts of historical document, such as travellers' accounts, legal and genealogical records, government, institutional and missionary archives, linguistic studies, literature, folklore, religious narrative, mime, dance and drama. Many of their experiences have involved severe economic poverty and adversity, stigmatising attitudes and exclusionary practices; yet this has not been the norm everywhere in Africa, and many deaf people have shown great resilience, perseverance, humour and ingenuity in their dealings and communications with the non-deaf world.

Deaf oppression & liberation

DeafTODAY.

golden marble bullet(2004, September 28). Crushing the Disabled in the Ghanaian media. Not too long ago a television station showed on its screen a Nigerian comedy titled 'Mr Ibu', with the popular Nigerian Actor, John Okafor, as the lead actor. In this comedy, many scenes sought to portray persons with disability as indecent, wild, mischievous and not good enough to be lovers.

golden marble bullet(2004, March 5). Deaf Society Slams Tony Aidoo. The National Secretary of the Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD), Mahama Johnsen, has expressed disgust at Tony Aidoo for describing President Kufour as "dumb". "This description is very offensive, especially coming from a former Deputy Minister of State," he bitterly complained to The Statesman in an interview in Accra on Thursday, where the questions and answers were written down. He was of the view that to be deaf and dumb is an unfortunate handicap which should not be used as a reference point for mockery – not even on a political platform.

golden marble bullet(2004, February 20). The deaf are not dumb- GNAD. The Ghana Association of the Deaf (GNAD) has stated that it is offensive and regrettable that the public, particularly those in the media label those with hearing and speech problems as "deaf and dumb"... The statement said there were several alternative ways of describing those with these impairments, for instance ; Hard of hearing, hearing impaired or speech impaired rather then labeling them with the demeaning phrase- "deaf and dumb".

golden marble bullet(2003, September 25). TV3 "Music Music" programme humiliated the Deaf. The Ghana National Association of the Deaf (GNAD) says it takes strong exception to the TV3 " Music Music" Programme of August 23, which sought to humiliate the Deaf. A statement signed by Mr S. K. Asare, President of the Association, said the co-hostess of the programme posed a question, which sought to find out how the Deaf by virtue of their disability could express a situation where they were choked while eating.

Ghanaian (or Ghana) Sign Language

Adamorobe Gebärdensprache. Alejandro Oviedo.

Ghanaian Sign Language: A language of Ghana.

International Bibliography of Sign Language - Ghana Sign Language (GSE).

stained glass ballKamei, N.

golden marble bullet(n.d.).The Birth of Langue des Signes Franco-Africaine: Creole ASL in West and Central French-speaking Africa. Langue des Signes Franco-Africaine (LSFA) is a generic term for sign languages widely used among the Deaf in French-speaking West and Central Africa with two distinctcharacteristics, loan signs from ASL and an influence based on spoken/written French. Inshort, LSFA can be defined as a generic term for creole sign languages consisting of ASL and French in Africa.

golden marble bullet(2006, December 25). History of Deaf people and sign languages in Africa: Fieldwork in the "kingdom" derived from Andrew J. Foster. Tokyo: Akashi Shoten Co., Ltd. 月刊言語』書評で紹介 (2007年6月号) 毎日新聞全国版の書評で紹介 (2007/02/18)『アフリカのろう者と手話の歴史』刊行 (2006/12/25)

Nyst, V.

golden marble bullet(2007). A Descriptive Analysis of Adamorobe Sign Language (Ghana).

golden marble bulletHome AdaSL.

golden marble bulletSimultaneous constructions in Adamorobe Sign Language (Ghana). In: Vermeerbergen, Myriam / Crasborn, Onno / Leeson, Lorraine (eds): Simultaneity in signed languages : form and function. (Current Issues in Linguistic Theory; 281) Amsterdam, Philadelphia : Benjamins (2007) - pp. 127-145.

golden marble bullet& Baker, A. (2003). The phonology of name signs: A comparison between the Sign Languages of Uganda, Mali, Adamorobe and the Netherlands (pp. 71-80). In A. Baker, Bogaerde, B. van den and O. Crasborn (Eds.), Cross-linguistic perspectives in sign language research. Selected papers from TISLR 2000. Hamburg: Signum.

stained glass ballvictorianyst. (2008, March 7). Summary of linguistic thesis Adamorobe Sign Language (AdaSL).Dutch flagSign Language iconAdamorobe is a village in Ghana with a high % of deafness and a unique, locally evolved SL, AdaSL. This language is currently endangered, as the deaf children of the village acquire ASL in their boarding school. I wrote my descriptive PhD thesis at this language. The video here is featuring myself, preparing myself to give a summary of my thesis in Sign Language of the Netherlands to the general public during my defence ("lekenpraatje").

Wikipedia. Adamorobe Sign Language.

Ghanaian (or Ghana) Sign Language dictionaries

International Bibliography of Sign Language - Ghana Sign Language (GSE) dictioinary.

Nyst, V. (2007). A Descriptive Analysis of Adamorobe Sign Language (Ghana). Contains 50 sign illustrations.

Organizations

World Federation of the Deaf membership information: Ghana National Association of the Deaf. Contact info only. Click on "F-I" and scroll down to the country name.

Religion & Deafness

Fred Asare, director. Fred Asare is the Director of the Village of Hope Children's Home, an orphanage operated by churches of Christ in Ghana, West Africa. He began studying the Scriptures through the World Bible School correspondence course at the age of nine and was baptized into Christ on 16th. June, 1981 by American World Bible School teachers during a follow-up campaign in Ghana.

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