Correspondence from Thomas Tetteh, Western Region

In a small workshop in the heart of Tarkwa, the sound of hammering metal fills the air as Kofi Eponsu, a deaf blacksmith, meticulously shapes tools and repairs equipment.

For the past 30 years, Kofi has dedicated himself to his craft, proving that disability is no barrier to mastering a trade.

Growing up, his hearing siblings could easily engage with the world around them, but for Kofi, communication was a daily struggle, because he was the only child born deaf among his parents’ six children.

Speaking through a sign language interpreter, Kofi Eponsu told me that he came to Tarkwa with his mother from Accra where he decided to stay in order to make ends meet. Kofi sees his job as a gift from God, because he didn’t learn it from anyone, and neither did he go to school to learn.

However, his journey has not been without its challenges, especially when it comes to communicating with his clients. While he quickly learned the art of blacksmithing, interactions with clients became a persistent challenge.

Despite his remarkable skills, Kofi’s clients’ inability to understand sign language which is the language he understands often forces him to rely on others for assistance.

He usually seeks the help of someone fluent in sign language who can act as his voice, interpreting the requests of his clients.

Communication with clients This dependency, however, extends beyond basic communication. Negotiating prices for his services poses another significant hurdle.

While our conversation was ongoing, a client came in with his business and it was time to open in order to open it up to know what the problem was, and how much to charge.

Kofi has resorted to writing on paper to communicate the prices, but even this method has its drawbacks. He struggled to write the price correctly. He wanted to write Two Thousand Eight Hundred Cedis (GH¢2,800) but ended up writing Twenty Thousand Eight Hundred Cedis (GH¢20,800).

But for the interpreter who accompanied me to conduct the interview who was around to serve as a mediator, Kofi might have lost the business, or the client would have had to wait for Kofi to go and look for another person to help both parties understand themselves.

Nonetheless, Kofi has a remarkable way of striking a deal with his clients, thanks to his honesty and the quality of his work.

His reputation has earned him the trust of many, and even with the occasional misunderstanding, customers leave satisfied.

He said customers come from every part of Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni Valley Municipalities with their works because he is best at blacksmithing.

But for Kofi, the challenges he faces every day go beyond his workshop. He believes that a solution lies in the broader community learning sign language, emphasizing the need for inclusivity.

According to him, the place he is operating from does not belong to him. Due to this, he is unable to develop the place to befit the work he does. He is therefore appealing to the general public to support him acquire land in order to befit the status he wants the shop to be.



Sign Language Empowerment (SILANEM) Academy

The Sign Language Empowerment (SILANEM) an organization which is helping in the training of sign language in basic schools in Ghana.

According to the Executive Director of SILANEM, Richmond Baidoo, communication gap between the deaf and the hearing community is a great challenge the deaf community.

In identifying this challenge Mr Richmond Baidoo begun a journey to train the young ones at the basic school in sign language in order to empower them, when the need arises to use the sign language. About 800 children have been trained so far since 2022.

“I realized a very huge communication gape between the deaf and the hearing community, so I decided to start this academy to catch them young to learn the sign language”, he said.

He added that, “through this programme we have been able to organize two sign language quiz competitions, the first of its kind in Ghana, to test the sign language fluency of the learners”.

Richmon Baidoo is advocating for the inclusion of the teaching and learning of sign language in the curriculum in the basic schools for learners to learn the sign language, just as French language is studied in the basic schools. He believes that when the needed support is given to organisations to help in sign language training, the communication gap between the deaf and hearing communities would be bridged to bring harmony.

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