It’s almost the weekend again, and hopefully you have already planned what you are going to be doing – aside from watching DTV on Saturday. But do you still remember everything you did last weekend?
In our latest South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo discusses weekend activities.
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The ABR test measures the reaction of the parts of a child’s nervous system that affect hearing.
We spend our whole lives learning: new skills, new languages, even new habits. Our curiosity, our quest for knowledge, is often influenced by what we learnt at school – both our favourite school subjects, and our least favourite.
In our latest South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo discusses school subjects.
Watch. And keep learning.
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Image Source: See, Hear, Speak No Deaf painting by Nancy Rourke
An official Zwakala song was launched at the 2011 gala event. The song was first performed at this event by Mango Groove, and signed by Candice Morgan. The song incorporates the objectives of Zwakala, but can also be seen as a struggle song for the Deaf as it acknowledges the struggle following the 1880 Milan Congress, while giving hope for the future.
Zwakala: Let the Deaf Be Heard (Lyrics)
For too long
Our hands have been silent
For too long
Our hands have been tied
For too long we have stood in the shadows
For too long we wordlessly cried.
Zwakala!
Let us unite
Zwakala!
Together we will fight
Zwakala!
Let the Deaf be heard
Shout out the word.
Let the Deaf Be Heard.
For too long
Our language was hidden
For too long
Our language was dumb
For too long it was spoken in secret
But no longer, for now our time has come.
Zwakala!
Let us unite
Zwakala!
Together we will fight
Zwakala!
Let the Deaf be heard
Zwakala shout out the word.
Let the Deaf be Heard.
Two tests were conducted. The first was to determine if there were fluids in her middle ears, and the second was the hearing test.
This week we learn the results of these two tests.
For years the Deaf have felt excluded from mainstream competitions in the performing arts, and in 2006 DTV took on the challenge of changing this. Zwakala (a Zulu term for “be heard”) was born out of a need to recognise creative talent within the Deaf community, and it follows DTV’s infamous creed of by the Deaf, for the Deaf.
The DTV team were fortunate enough to receive the blessing, and patronage, of the late MaSisulu, and in 2007 the first Zwakala contest took place. The theme of the first contest was “A Birthday Card for Madiba”. 95 learners entered the contest, with 6 learners making it through to the finals. Since then the DTV team have worked tirelessly to continue growing the event, and generating additional exposure of the talent that participates. The strong support of the SABC, the Department of Arts & Culture, the Department of Education, DeafSA, PanSALB and the Deaf community, have helped turn Zwakala into a recognisable, strong and sustainable brand.
Zwakala has gone from reaching all the schools for the deaf in South Africa, to crossing borders and now also involving learners from the SADC region. In 2013 this saw the inclusion of schools and learners from:
From 2014, the following countries are also included:
This means this years Zwakala event will be the biggest so far. South Africa alone drew 105 entries, and the gala event in early 2015 will showcase the talents of 88 finalists from 11 countries.
The objectives of Zwakala focus specifically on the Deaf, Deaf culture and regional culture, creativity and development. They include:
In 2011, a song was composed for the event, and first performed by Mango Groove, and signed by Candice Morgan. The song incorporates elements of the struggle that followed the controversial Milan congress in 1880, while providing hope for the future. The song also incorporates the main objectives of Zwakala.
The success of Zwakala is evident not only in how the event has grown over the years, but also in its other achievements. From PanSALB acknowledging the huge contribution of Zwakala by awarding the team the PanSALB Multilingual Award for the promotion and development of South African Sign Language on Television, to the winner of the 2008 event, Darren Rajbal, going on to win SA’s Got Talent.
Zwakala’s new patron, Minister Lindiwe Sisulu recently shared her thoughts on Zwakala:
Since taking over as patron of Zwakala a wondrous world has opened up for me; a wondrous world where young, very talented, very courageous, very intelligent young people showed me the limits of possibilities are only defined by ourselves. I was truly touched and glad I was chosen as patron. The young people proved that each one of us has the will to beat whatever odds are perceived or whatever odds we encounter! The possibilities are limitless.
The contest is divided into four categories:
Each country is responsible for judging their own entrants, and selecting finalists, and all finalists are later flown to Johannesburg for a gala event where the overall winners in each category are selected. All finalists receive a complimentary gift bag, while the winners in each category receive prizes totaling more than R200,000.
Regional judging in the SADC countries has not been completed yet, but the provincial judging in South Africa took place during May 2014. Invitations to participate where sent out to various schools for the deaf throughout South Africa, broken down as follows:
The judging panel included:
and on the 28th of July 2014 they announced the following finalists from South Africa:
They, along with the finalists from the SADC countries, will participate in the Zwakala finals from 24-26 February 2015, with the gala event taking place on 27 February 2015. The judges for the finals are:
Further details, including profiles on all the judges, will be published here over the coming weeks.
On this week’s South African Sign Language lesson, Thabo introduces us to signs associated with languages, including SASL.
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Thabo discusses holiday’s, special occasions and holiday traditions in our latest South African Sign Language lesson.
Having difficulty viewing the video? Try this link.
Finding out your baby is deaf changes your life; parents are often overwhelmed with the new decisions that they are faced with in terms of communication, assistive devices and schooling.
However, there is no right or a wrong decision, and it is the parents right to make their own choices. We are hoping that Talia’s Journey will provide insight and information into the process that families must go through when their child is diagnosed as deaf.
