The fifth annual Edinburgh Deaf Festival – run in collaboration with the Fringe – gets started this weekend.
A celebration of deaf culture, language and heritage EDF offers a superb line-up of more than 100 home-grown and international shows and events, for deaf and hearing audiences.
Among the highlights will be Pray for Me by Sarah Adedeji
It is a raw, intimate and visually striking blend of poetry, movement, dance and live music (by ISRA3L), that explores the barriers, prejudice and cultural assumptions faced by a young black woman from London being raised by a highly religious Nigerian family.
Sarah, who is a locum NHS audiologist as well as a performer and writer, said: “I am not broken. I am not something to be fixed.
“Growing up and going to church, and being from an African family, the way I was treated was basically that I needed to be healed. And if you are not healed it’s because you don’t believe enough in God.”
Over the years she endured attempts by pastors to “heal” her in a variety of ways, including trickling holy oil into her ears.
At the same time Sarah has faced many issues in wider society.
She says: “There are barriers in every area of life. It’s like playing the lottery every time you go out, and you never know if it’s going to be good or bad.”
Pray for Me shines a light on the ways that UK culture and faith interlink, clash and coexist.
Sarah is emphatic that deafness can bring many positives: “How I’m treated as a deaf person is what’s pushed me to be who I am.
“I talk a lot about deafness, but with a positive reframing. I am this creative person and my deafness has been positive. It has helped me to be a better dancer and a better writer because it’s given me a different perspective on life, one that not many people have the privilege of.”
The 25-year-old is in increasing demand for film, dance and other projects and has found a high degree of acceptance in the arts world.
She says: “The creative arts are a bit more welcoming of people of different backgrounds. There are people out there who see disability as a positive thing, look past it and appreciate what I’m putting out.”
Nadia Nadarajah, EDF director, said: “Sarah’s work brings to light the shared experience of so many deaf people.
“As a creative artist she also highlights the tremendous – often undervalued – talent there is in our community.
“One of our great objectives with EDF is to pull down some of the barriers deaf people face and provide a platform for deaf artists, stories and experiences.
“We hope that deaf and hearing audiences alike will come along to see Pray for Me and the other shows and events we have to offer during this year’s fifth annual festival.”
Running for 10 days from 7-16 August, EDF is organised by Deaf Action (the world’s oldest deaf charity and deaf-led organisation which dates back 190 years to 1835).
Other shows ideal for hearing as well as deaf audiences:
- Sign Slam: Participants compete to create the funniest, wittiest and most imaginative jokes or stories. Fast-paced, interactive and full of visual humour, Sign Slam celebrates improvisation, audience participation and the creativity of live performance.
- A Night in Sign: A vibrant BSL-led cabaret event. Hosted by Nadeem Islam and featuring performances from acclaimed deaf artist Chris Fonseca alongside some of the UK’s most exciting Deaf creatives.
- The Librarians: Step into a world where books burst into life! Meet the wonderfully quirky Miss Book and Mr Page as they discover the adventures hidden in their library of old books. A celebration of everyone’s stories!
- John Smith: Planes, Trains & Misunderstandings: Award-winning comedian John Smith is back with a hilarious new show about travelling the world as a deaf comedian.
- Lights & Lanterns: Step inside our emporium of light and shadow, where history flickers to life and you become part of the spectacle. Try your hand at a 130-year-old magic lantern, create your own hand painted glass slide, and transform into a Victorian projectionist. A playful, physical experience where past and present collide, and where light becomes language.
- See the Edinburgh Deaf Festival website at https://edinburghdeaffestival.co.uk.
