Mr. Sonko made the remarks as part of activities marking the commemoration of International Sign Language Day.
“Sign language is not universal and has dialects. Each country has its own sign language. The World Federation with Deaf (WFD) has encouraged member states to come up with their own sign languages. But above all, there is what we called the international sign language,” he stated.
He pointed out that The Gambia established its sign language in the early 2000s with the help of organisations from Sweden and Netherland.
He added that since then deaf people have been using that to promote their human rights, education, and to communicate among themselves and others.
“We aim to develop our own dictionary like the South Africans did,” he said.
Mr. Sonko went on to say that organisations like The Gambia Association of the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (GADHOH) are faced with numerous challenges.
“The Government should help us in employing sign language interpreters. Our association tried employing them but could not retain them due to financial constraints. We therefore appeal to the government to employ sign language interpreters in various sectors to make deaf and hard of hearing people connected to people,” said Mr. Sonko.
He stressed that television stations should employ sign language interpreters, most especially the state media (GRTS TV). He thanked QTV and UNDP for giving voices to deaf people.
