Nurturing Deaf Flourishing Sustainably 229
research at African universities conducted in cooperation with national deaf asso-
ciations. The Ugandan Sign Language Dictionary draws its lexicon from a corpus of
signed conversations, representing all regions of the country and all sign language
varieties. These different approaches were discussed with the workshop participants
in support of their efforts to preserve ExNorthCamSL.^4 In response to this need
from the Extreme North and through the knowledge exchange generated by the
WFD training, a proposal emerged for the documentation of ExNorthCamSL at
Kyambogo (via Dr. Lutalo-Kiingi’s aforementioned ELDp postdoctoral fellowship,
which was placed on hold due to violent conflicts in the area).
Nonetheless, questions remain of how far a single training and workshop session
can achieve lasting impact and what happens to feelings of hope and visions of
(alternative) future trajectories after the event:The danger is that this feeling does not necessarily last for long because just as
shared values are produced by social processes, so they can only be renewed
through continued social relations. people have to keep reflecting, discussing
and negotiating, but organizations often fail to create opportunities for collec-
tive renewal. (Crewe & Axelby, 2013, p. 220)Would the collective reflective process continue without organized gatherings? The
2012 WOCAL-7 workshop took place a year and a half after the WFD training, so in
the interim we had become keen to build on our expertise about this process. We
had been able to negotiate a fee waiver for the deaf Cameroonians at WOCAL be-
cause their access to the conference was limited due to insufficient funding for In-
ternational Sign interpreters (and there is currently no CSL interpreter training).
The 40 participants, including most of CANAD’s board members, were responsible
for their own transport to Buea and lodging for one night; the founders of the Buea
School for the Deaf provided accommodation for some. For many, it was the first
time they ever entered a university building or took part in discussions on language.
Scholars from different countries presented on UgSL, Kenyan Sign Language,
an indigenous Nigerian sign language sometimes called Hausa Sign Language,^5- For an overview of African sign language dictionaries, see Schmaling (2012); for an ethical reflec-
tion on deaf involvement in the Kenyan Sign Language dictionary, see Hochgesang (2012); for critical
discussion, also see Lutalo-Kiingi & De Clerck (2015b, 2016d). - Dr. Ibrahim Kyauta, who is a native signer of this language, which is used in North-West Nigeria,
refers to it as “indigenous sign language.” The North-West region consists of six states. Constance
Schmaling (2003) conducted linguistic research in Kano State, referring to the sign language used
there as “Hausa Sign Language” and noting that deaf signers call it MAGANAR HANNU—“the lan-
guage of the hands.” Dr. Kyauta argues for research that considers the entire region and takes diversity
into account: “Though Hausa, the tribe I come from, is the dominant language in the region, there
are over 30 minor tribes with different cultures and religious beliefs in the zone, so I gave consider-
ations to all these differences and term it as ‘indigenous sign language’ since other variables need to be
considered” (Ibrahim Kyauta, personal correspondence to Dr. Lutalo-Kiingi, August 31, 2012). This is
an area that deserves further study, especially from a broader scope that encompasses the indigenous
sign language variation among the entire region, including Chad, Niger, and the Extreme North of
Cameroon (Lutalo-Kiingi, personal communication, March 9, 2015).