Deaf community demands sign language recognition

Namibia’s deaf community is calling on parliamentarians to revive a 2023 motion seeking the official recognition of Namibian Sign Language and the provision of sign language interpreters in parliament.

There are currently about 27 000 deaf people in the country.

Martin Tjivera, founder of the Namibia National Association of the Deaf and current president of the Deaf Empowerment Organisation, says the deaf community still does not know what became of the motion tabled in the National Assembly by former deputy minister of disability affairs Alexia Ncube.

“It has been a while since the former deputy minister of disability affairs, Alexia Ncube, tabled a motion in the National Assembly for the official recognition of Namibian Sign Language as a national sign language of Namibia, and for the appointment of sign language interpreters in parliament,” Tjivera says.

“To this day, we, the Namibian deaf people, remain in the dark and do not know what has happened to the motion that was tabled in the National Assembly in 2023.”

Tjivera is now calling on parliamentarians from both Swapo and opposition parties to bring the motion back before parliament for further discussion.

The appeal comes amid concerns that deaf Namibians are effectively excluded from following live parliamentary proceedings because sign language interpretation is not provided.

“We, the Namibian deaf people, are locked out of live parliamentary proceedings due to the lack of sign language interpretation services in parliament,” he says.

Tjivera says the issue extends beyond access to parliamentary debates, arguing that deaf Namibians should have a more direct role in national decision-making.

“The lack of meaningful involvement of the Namibian deaf people in our country’s decision-making processes must stop immediately,” he says. He calls for greater self-representation of deaf people, saying the community should not have to rely solely on intermediaries to communicate its concerns to the government.

“We do not want to hear that the government cannot appoint sign language interpreters in parliament because it has no money, as this would be an insult to the intelligence of the Namibian deaf community,” he says.

In a statement issued last week, the Namibian Organisation of Youth with Disability called on the government to address the shortage of qualified sign language interpreters in essential public services to ensure deaf people can fully exercise their human rights. “Sign language and access to it is inseparable from the right to education, healthcare, justice, employment, information, political participation, and human dignity,” the statement reads.

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