In the Nigerian city of Ibadan, amateur dancer Omowunmi Otunuyi, who is deaf, captivated the audience as she performed with her dance troupe in a show aimed at challenging stereotypes surrounding deafness.
Using sign language, the 20-year-old expressed her joy at showcasing their abilities to the audience, saying, “I am so glad we were able to show the audience what we could do, I’m excited because we made it happen.”
In Nigeria, public performances by deaf artists are uncommon due to limited opportunities for people with disabilities to engage in cultural and artistic endeavors.
Otunuyi’s entry into the dance world was facilitated by professional coach Samuel James, who founded the Seams Deaf-Pro Foundation. His goal is to provide deaf performers with opportunities to excel and combat societal biases against them.
James highlighted their mission, saying, “When we go to a place to dance [people] say ‘how is this possible, how are they able to work with songs, the sounds’… that has been our target and that is what we always push.”
Through rigorous training sessions led by James, Otunuyi and her fellow dancers have learned to express rhythm and flow. Addressing potential skepticism, Otunuyi signed, “Some may think it is just a waste of energy, a waste of time. I’m a born dancer. I believe there is success in this.”
James and his students are determined to challenge biases and prejudices against the deaf community. “We are trying to break the biases, the prejudices against deaf people,” he emphasized.
Reporting by Seun Sanni; Writing by Bhargav Acharya; Editing by Estelle Shirbon and Alexandra Hudson
