Politics

Adoption of sign language in South Africa raises hope for the deaf

Published

1 year ago

August 4, 2023

Commendations have continued to trail South Africa’s decision to recognize signs as part of its official languages. Bongumusa Manana, a 19-year-old deaf student in a Johannesburg township, views the advancement as a significant step forward that will enable him to attend college and fulfill his dreams.

The South African parliament approved a constitutional amendment on May 4, 2023, designating sign language as an official language. President Cyril Ramaphosa later signed the legislation into law last month, making sign the country’s 12th official language, joining English, isiZulu, Afrikaans, and other languages, in order to support inclusivity and defend the rights of the deaf.

Manana explained in sign language at the Sizwile School for the Deaf in Dobsonville, Soweto, “The difficulty was that when you go to a police station or take a (minibus) taxi, it is really difficult to communicate.”

He added that there was “absolutely no access” to communicating with others before it became an official language.

Only 41 countries, including only four in Africa (Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, and Zimbabwe), recognize sign language as an official language, according to World Atlas, an online resource for demographic research.

In sign language, he remarked, “Now that it’s an official language, I know that I can go to university and I can make my goals come true. “I can accomplish anything,”

Around 5% of the world’s population, or 430 million people, need rehabilitation to address their incapacitating hearing loss, according to the World Health Organization. A debilitating hearing loss is predicted to affect approximately 700 million individuals by the year 2050, or one in every ten people.

Related Topics:Featured Sign Language South Africa

Click to comment

Politics

Burkina Faso releases 4 French spies after Moroccan intervention

Published

3 days ago

December 20, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

In a diplomatic spat over their imprisonment, France and Morocco announced Thursday that four French nationals detained in Burkina Faso for a year had been freed after mediation from Morocco.

They were spies, according to a prior statement made by the director of France’s foreign intelligence organisation, the DGSE.

A request for comment was not answered by the DGSE or a representative of the French military, which is in charge of the agency.

Since December 2023, they have been held in Ouagadougou.

President Emmanuel Macron hailed King Mohammed of Morocco on Wednesday for his intervention, “which made possible the liberation of our four countrymen who had been held in Burkina Faso for a year,” according to a statement from the French administration.

King Mohammed and President Ibrahim Traore of Burkina Faso were also commended by Morocco’s foreign ministry, which stated that “this humanitarian act” was made possible by their positive bilateral ties.

In October, France made peace with Morocco, one of its former protectorates, after three years of hostilities between Paris and Rabat stoked by immigration concerns and the disputed Western Sahara region.

Morocco offers Burkina Faso and other military-ruled Sahel republics Atlantic trade.

However, France’s relations with former West and Central African colonies, such as Burkina Faso, remain difficult. In Ouagadougou, French troops and diplomats were ejected, the defence attache and ambassador were asked to depart, and certain French media were suspended.

The military junta that took control in 2022 in Burkina Faso has been criticized by international rights groups for cracking down on free expression and harassing dissidents to handle a security crisis precipitated by Al Qaeda and Islamic State extremists.

Politics

Ghana: President-elect Mahama appoints anti-corruption team

Published

4 days ago

December 19, 2024

Ifeoluwa Dada

According to a statement released by his transition team on Wednesday, Ghana’s President-elect, John Dramani Mahama, has designated an anti-corruption committee to investigate allegations of wrongdoing.

When he takes office next month, Mahama, the leading opposition candidate in the presidential election held on December 7 and who received almost 56% of the vote, has pledged to reclaim the proceeds of corruption and hold those responsible for it accountable.

In anticipation, an anti-graft squad has been established. The parliament’s Committee on Assurances, which has previously raised suspicions of governmental corruption, is chaired by MP Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwah.

An investigative journalist, a private attorney, a former auditor general, and a former police officer with experience in high-profile robbery cases make up the other three members.

After looking into alleged financial irregularities that took place during the previous administration, Daniel Dumelovo, the former auditor general, was fired.

Recovering lost assets and fighting corruption were two of Mahama’s main campaign pledges.

“He intends to hit the ground running on these commitments,” the statement said.

Eight years after leaving office, former President Mahama is back to head the West African country. Despite not being personally contaminated, he faced criticism during his 2012–2016 administration due to claims of political corruption.