In Kenya, Churches Make The Case For Sign Language Interpreters During Services
NAIROBI, Kenya — It was a jubilant service in a packed church in one of Kenya’s densely populated neighborhoods, featuring an animated sermon by the reverend and lively music.
And yet, minus for the rumbling of drums, you could have heard a pin drop throughout most of the service at St. Andrew’s Church.
Inside the Presbyterian Church of East Africa’s service, most of the congregants were deaf, as were the choristers and choirmaster. The singing was muted — only lips moved, while bodies swayed with swan-like grace — while hands waved to the delightful rhythm of the drum beats. Even the minister, the Rev. George Obonyo, is deaf.
This was a special service for the deaf, held to highlight the plight of this oft-forgotten group and part of a broader national a campaign for greater inclusivity. The day’s sermon and other activities were delivered in sign language, with interpreters providing translation. The church’s deaf youth even presented a skit, urging the members to turn away from sin. Children, some of them deaf, regaled the congregants with songs presented in sign language.
Obonyo underscored the importance of incorporating sign language during worship. His ministry has attracted the deaf from other churches.
“I’ve been able to teach some interpreters sign language, and they’ve improved quite well. Whenever there is awareness, the deaf from different churches come together,” according to Obonyo. “And anytime the hearing need to visit us, they are always welcome. We all serve one God.”
Obonyo’s son, Josephat Andugu, interprets for him. The younger Obonyo, said learning sign language has become a way of life for him. Both his parents are deaf. He said he hopes sign language will one day become a mandatory subject in Kemya, citing the deaf’s challenges in accessing crucial services such as healthcare.
Across the world, deaf Christians are often left out of services. Locked in silence, deaf churchgoers end up as passive partakers. Sadly, many churches have no provisions to cater their worship services in a language or medium that can facilitate the deaf’s comprehension, which only foments further seclusion.
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Kenya’s constitution mandates that service providers facilitate the inclusion of all persons with disabilities in all aspects of life, including education, employment and healthcare. There has been notable progress over the last few years as legislation has been revamped to accommodate all citizens with disabilities.
In a remarkable win for persons living with disabilities, legislation was passed that required all TV news broadcasts and educational programs to include sign language during select telecasts. The law requires all television stations to provide a sign language inset or subtitles as well as programs covering events of national significance.
For the deaf advocates at St. Andrews Church in the capitol Nairobi, a similar directive for places of worship would go a long way toward fostering greater inclusion of the deaf.
Similar initiatives seeking to amplify the voice of the deaf in worship have been rolled out in various Kenyan churches. On Kenya’s Catholic churches, Mass was translated into Kenyan sign language in an effort to help them celebrate the Eucharist. The Anglican Church, meanwhile, runs deaf ministries across the country and has the Rev. Edwin Masai, a deaf minister, serving in at All Saints’ Cathedral Nairobi.
Deacon John Kaira, a member of the ministry team at St. Andrew’s Church, said the deaf community has been sidelined during worship services, an isolation that has effectively cut them off from God.
“Many people stay at home. They do not come to church and they do not know anything about God,” he said. “They grow into adults without knowing anything concerning God. This is a big challenge for us, and it’s important for churches to have interpreters to break the barriers. When the hearing preach and we have an interpreter, it becomes easier for us to learn about God.”
Joseph Maina is a Kenyan journalist. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and media studies from the University of Nairobi. For the past decade, he has served as a correspondent for various print and digital publications in his native Kenya, Rwanda and South Africa.