In 1957, Black Deaf American Missionary Andrew Foster (1925-1987) opened the first school for the deaf in Ghana, followed shortly thereafter by the creation of a teacher training facility that attracted deaf and hearing trainees from Ghana and other West African countries. Foster was supported by his Deaf German wife Berta Foster (1939-2018). In 1965, the Ghanaian government took over responsibility for the Foster schools. Today, thanks to the Fosters, Ghana has a state-run deaf education system with at least one school for the deaf in every province.
We still know very little about the fate of deaf people and generally of persons with disabilities in African countries. With few exceptions such as the activities of Irish missionaries in South Africa in the 19th century, schools for the deaf were not founded in African countries until after the end of World War II with the onset of decolonization and independence movements. Andrew Foster played a key role in this development, which is way he is considered the “father of deaf education in Africa.” Together with his wife Berta, between 1957 and 1987, he founded more than 30 schools and churches in 13 African countries until his untimely death in a plane crash.
The workshop is to honor both the Foster’s pioneering work in Ghana and to lay a foundation for a Deaf History in West African countries. For this, we are joined for short presentations and a panel discussion by Ghanaian and Western contemporary witnesses, representatived from the Ghana National Association of the Deaf and educators of the deaf as well as historians from Ghana, Europe, and the USA.
The workshop will be conducted in English with Ghana Sign Language interpretation and automated transciptions. It will be held via zoom. Registration is required, please contact anja.werner@uni-erfurt.de.