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Thursday, 22 April 2010
The Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands will host the official launch of the National Sign Language Poster on Wednesday 28 April. 2010 at 3:00 pm at the Mannenburg in Harare. Senator David Coltart, the Minister of Education, will launch the poster, with several diplomatic and local dignitaries and the press in attendance.
The National Sign Language Poster is an initiative of King George VI Centre and School, renowned for producing Liyana Band, the subject of the Academy Award winning documentary, Music by Prudence. King George VI worked closely with members of the National Council of the Deaf to come up with the poster. Deaf people are one of the most marginalized minority groups in Zimbabwe mainly because of the communication barrier. Too often, deaf people are ignored or not given adequate services because the public at large cannot communicate with them. There have been cases of misdiagnosis during health care unit visits, or the Police not knowing what to do with lost or abandoned deaf children found wondering the streets. It is even more difficult at work as employers find it hard communicating with their deaf workers. It’s worse in the courts, where def people are denied due process of the law. In short, lack of access to communication infringes upon the basic human rights of deaf people. The World Federation of the Deaf estimates that as much as 90% of the world’s deaf people are denied basic human rights. It is no different in Zimbabwe, especially considering that there is no coherent national sign language or policies to support that.
It was with these issues in mind that the National Sign Language Poster Project was initiated. The poster is large A1 format poster with over 100 common everyday signs for survival. It has signs relevant for different situations – hospitals, police stations, the courts, and so on. It is hoped that when distributed to various public institutions, the poster will bridge the communication gap and help integrate deaf people into the larger society. Deaf people’s basic rights, so blatantly ignored, will be assured in the future. This is a small step for society, but a big leap for the deaf. We hope recognition will dawn on issues affecting the deaf.
The launch event will be held with the sponsorship of the Embassy of the Netherlands, The Ministry of Education and HIVOS. Deaf children from King George VI School and Emerald Hill School for the Deaf will perform signed song, dance, poetry and drama. Liyana will provide musical entertainment.
LAUNCH DETAILS
The Minister of Education, Sport and Culture will launch the National Sign Language Poster on Wednesday 28 April, 2010 at 3:00 pm at THE MANNENBERG (Fife Ave Mall / 6th Street) in Harare.