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FROM NIGERIA TO FIJI – ANDREW FOSTER TOUCHES
- 1. ANDREW FOSTER TOUCHES ETERNITY– FROMNIGERIA TO FIJI ‘Bunmi Aina Director, Diversity and Equity Programs Gallaudet University Black History Month Presentation University of Cincinnati February 25, 2016 Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 1
- 2. Prelude • What Iam about to share is material from a chapter I contributed to the book It's a Small World: International Deaf Spaces and Encounters (Friedner, M; Kusters, A editors. Gallaudet University Press 2015) titled Andrew Foster Touches Eternity: From Nigeria to Fiji • You will find my article in chapter 11 of the book, page 127 Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 2
- 3. Discovering Andrew Jackson Foster •Born in Ensley, Alabama in 1925 • Deafened at 11 by spinal meningitis • Attended Alabama School for the Negro Deaf, Talladega AL • Was first Black Deaf person to graduate from Gallaudet, in 1954, with a degree in education • First Black Deaf person to earn a master’s degree, in education, from Eastern Michigan University • Earned another master’s degree in missions and education from Seattle Christian Pacific College. • Photo credit: Faith Foster. Andrew Foster Family Albums Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 3
- 4. Discovering Andrew JacksonFoster • From 1957 to 1987, Foster established 32 mission schools and churches for Deaf people in 13 African countries • He also established churches in 4 African countries • He spent 6 months every year in Africa establishing and running his schools and the other 6 months in the US raising funds to support them • Consequently, Foster is widely regarded as the “father of Deaf education in Africa”. • Died at 62 in an air crash in Rwanda on December 3, 1987. Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 4
- 5. The Andrew FosterAgenda • Andrew Foster firmly believed that the most important part of a person is his eternal soul • Thus, his original objective was to bring the Christian Gospel to Deaf people in Africa • “His original idea of coming to Ghana was to guide Deaf children to God” – Elizabeth Tetteh-Ocloo, 2nd hearing teacher Foster hired in Ghana. • This passion to reach the souls of Deaf Africans was his driving force • He operated through a not-for-profit called Christian Mission for Deaf Africans (now Christian Mission for the Deaf) Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 5
- 6. Foster Agenda meetsAfrican Reality • Foster first landed in Liberia, from where he relocated to Ghana in 1957 • He realized that there was no education in place for deaf people; and, except for those deafened later in life, most were illiterate • He realized that illiteracy would hinder his primary spiritual mission • So providing education now became a fundamental objective • He widened his vision to include providing literacy and vocational skills by establishing MISSION schools Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 6
- 7. Adjusting the Agendato the Reality • Foster realized that, to advance Deaf Africans spiritually, he must first advance them educationally before proceeding pari passu • He established 32 mission schools in 13 African countries over 30 years • He found and trained Deaf and hearing people willing to work with Deaf people • He then focused on training Deaf Africans as teachers, administrators and ministers at his training center in Mampong-Akwapim, Ghana, which he subsequently moved to Ibadan, Nigeria Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 7
- 8. The Foster Agendathrough the Decades Foster signing “Jesus” with pupils at Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf, Ibadan, Nigeria, 1960’s. Photo: Andrew Foster Family Albums Foster signing “Jesus” with pupils at Goma Mission School for the Deaf, Goma, Congo D.R., 1980’s Photo: Andrew Foster Family Albums Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 8
- 9. The Andrew FosterModel • Training and developing a corps of Deaf African talent himself • Engaging the local communities to develop a sense of ownership • Engaging local and international partners in education and development • Building and sustaining coalitions • Building on Deaf verisimilitude, or the “deaf-same” effect Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 9
- 10. Defining Deaf Verisimilitude •Deaf verisimilitude is also known more simply as “deaf-same” • Deaf-same encompasses the spectrum of the Deaf experience • Deaf-same transcends cultural, national, and other differences • Deaf-same is defined as: • An affinity or kinship arising from shared deafness Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 10
- 11. Deaf-Same, First Hand •Interviews with some protégés of Andrew Foster elicited certain responses: • He was a father figure Deaf Africans looked up to and aspired to be like • Most of us who had met Foster wanted to be like him. We were impressed that a deaf man could go to college and earn advanced degrees • He had a unique way of cultivating that special bond with deaf people • Meeting him helped us to see the light • My association with Foster gave me the confidence to pursue and earn two degrees almost as he had done Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 11
- 12. Making Meaning ofthe Responses • An affinity was built between Foster and the Deaf people he met in those African countries he worked in • This affinity was based on shared deafness and its psychosocial ramifications • Deafness undergirded their commonality Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 12
- 13. Making Meaning fromMemory • I met Andrew Foster as a boy one Saturday in late 1974 when he visited Ibadan School for the Deaf in Nigeria • Ibadan School for the Deaf (ISD) was founded by one of Foster’s hearing protégés, Adeline Oyesola; and is distinct from Foster’s own Ibadan Mission School for the Deaf (IMSD) • His distinctive Volkswagen van was recognized and he was mobbed by all the pupils before he had even stepped out • He was clearly seen as a hero by all in the school • There was a clear “deaf-same” process at play in the interactions Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 13
- 14. The Nigeria-Fiji Connection I MatthewAdedeji BA, History, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria BA/Diploma in Social Work, The Open University, Milton Keynes, England, 2008 MA/PGDip/PG Cert in Practice Education (Social Work), Goldsmith University London, 2014 Project Officer, Christian Mission for the Deaf (CMD), Ibadan, Nigeria Went to Fiji in 1997 to Pastor the Christian Fellowship of the Deaf, an arm of the Fiji Gospel Church in Samabula, Suva, Fiji Co-founder, Gospel School for the Deaf, Samabula, Suva, Fiji Team Manager, Sensory Impairment Service, Adult Social Care Service, Croydon Council, London, UK Photo: Matthew Adedeji Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 14
- 15. Discovering Matthew Adedeji •Adedeji was deafened at age 7 • Adedeji met Andrew Foster in 1984 when Foster visited his high school in Ibadan, Nigeria • Adedeji recalls Foster was “inspirational, blew everyone away” • Adedeji clicked with Foster immediately, and eventually found employment at Foster’s CMD in Ibadan as a project officer after he finished college in 1994 • In 1996, he volunteered to work with the Christian Fellowship for the Deaf in Suva, Fiji Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 15
- 16. Matthew Adedeji’s Agenda •Adedeji said: “Foster was the inspiration and a good example for influencing my decision to go to Fiji” • Adedeji firmly believed that the most important part of a person is his eternal soul • Thus, his objective in Fiji was to spread the Christian Gospel to Deaf Fijians • This passion to reach the souls of Deaf Fijians was his driving force Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 16
- 17. The Reality inFiji • Little to no value was placed on the education of Deaf children in Fiji • The presence of a Deaf child in a Fijian family usually led to family disharmony and parental separation • Deaf children would usually be sent away to live with grandparents or members of the extended family and put to work on the farm or as domestics • The right of the Deaf child to aspire to and pursue post-primary education was never a consideration Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 17
- 18. Adedeji Agenda meetsFijian Reality • Adedeji discovered during one year of traveling throughout Fiji visiting communities and “special schools” that there was no education in place for deaf people • Deaf Fijians lacked self-esteem due to illiteracy and low expectations • Accordingly, providing Deaf-appropriate education became Adedeji’s fundamental objective • Adedeji decided to turn to someone with a background in Deaf Education • Meanwhile, he founded Gospel School for the Deaf (GSD) in Samabula, Suva, Fiji in January 1999 Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 18
- 19. The Pioneer Pupils MatthewAdedeji (second left) with Alex Dunn (left) and Maretina Mareko (3rd right, rear) with the first set of pupils at Gospel School for the Deaf, Samabula, Suva, Fiji January 1999 Photo: Matthew Adedeji Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 19
- 20. The Nigeria-Fiji Connection II Olawale(‘Wale) Alade B.Ed. (Sp. Ed/Counselling), University of Ilorin BSc (Psychiatry/Mental Health) Kingston University, London Succeeded Adedeji as Project Officer, CMD, Ibadan, Nigeria Co-founder, Gospel School for the Deaf, Samabula, Suva, Fiji Mental Health Nurse, Springfield University Hospital, Tooting Bec, London. Photo: Wale Alade Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 20
- 21. Discovering Wale Alade •Alade was deafened at age 16 • Alade never met Andrew Foster, but was a student of his work and was familiar with oral/signed history from Foster’s protégés, including Adedeji himself • Alade was about to begin graduate school at the University of Ibadan when the call from Adedeji came • Alade was reluctant to abandon his graduate studies, but, given his skills and the need, he felt called • In October 1999, he took over the reins at GSD as Head Teacher Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 21
- 22. The Foster ModelWorks in Fiji • Adedeji and Alade, students of Foster’s methods, modelled his methods and approaches • Like Foster, they engaged the local communities and built local, national and international coalitions which supported their work • They entrenched themselves in the local Deaf and hearing communities to obtain buy-in • They identified Deaf Fijian leaders to groom, train and develop • They built on the “Deaf-Same” effect Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 22
- 23. Deaf-Same at Playin Fiji • Whenever informed of a sighting of an unschooled Deaf child, Alade and Adedeji would arrange a recruitment visit • They recruited from surrounding Fijian islands like Kadavu, Savusavu and Rabbi as well as Melanesian, Micronesian and Polynesian island nations like Vanuatu, Nauru and Tuvalu • Sometimes visits involved large entourages of staff and Deaf pupils • Sometimes an entire village would meet the visitors, curious to see the Deaf teachers and students • Through direct contact with Deaf Fijians and identification with their needs, critical “Deaf-Same” affinity developed Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 23
- 24. Deaf-Same • Andrew Fosterestablished a model for Deaf-centric development work during 30 years in sub-Saharan Africa • Adedeji and Alade replicated that model during 5 years in Fiji • Deaf verisimilitude represented the manifestation of a shared affinity or kinship arising from a common deafness • Deaf verisimilitude transcended ethnic, cultural and religious differences Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 24
- 25. My Conclusion • ADeaf-Same component is usually, but not always, naturally intrinsic to Deafcentric projects • Deafcentric projects are projects conceptualized by Deaf people for Deaf people • The importance of such projects lies in their inherent transcending of contingent differences between and among Deaf people Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 25
- 26. The End? • Adedejiand Alade have now moved on to new endeavors in England • Adedeji and Alade continue to contribute to the ongoing work through their not-for-profit, Christian Mission to the Deaf in the Pacific • Gospel School for the Deaf pupils are graduating and transitioning to the mainstream Gospel High School • Some are transitioning from Gospel High School into tertiary programs Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 26
- 27. GSD in theEarly 21st Century Matthew Adedeji (far right) on a recent visit to Fiji from England, takes time out for a photo op with some students of GSD. July 2015 Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 27
- 28. Some Fijian Stories LenikerThomas From Vanuatu Started school at Gospel School for the Deaf at age 11 BA, Economics and Politics, Waikato University, New Zealand, 2014 Photo: Leniker Thomas Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 28
- 29. Some Fijian Stories AsinateKolikata Entered GSD at 13 Attended college in Hong Kong on a Hong Kong government scholarship On a 5-year contract with the Chinese University of Hong Kong to study and analyze sign languages Assistant Project Support staff, Fiji Deaf Association Secretariat Photo: Asinate Kolikata Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 29
- 30. Some Fijian Stories KrishneerSen Attended Gallaudet University as a World Deaf Leaders (WDL) Scholarship fund scholar. BS, Information Technology, Gallaudet University, 2014 Graduate student, University College London, UK Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 30
- 31. Acknowledgments • Agboola, I.2014. “Andrew Foster: The Man, the Vision, and the Thirty-Year Uphill Climb”. Deaf Studies Digital Journal. Accessed April 4, 2015 http://dsdj.gallaudet.edu/assets/section/section2/entry177/DSDJ_entry177.pdf • Amissah, K., Boateng S., Kulego J., and Nortey, J. 2014 Video Interview of Seth Tetteh-Ocloo and Elizabeth Tetteh-Ocloo • Musa, L. 2009. Video Interview of Ezekiel Sambo • Nicholas, D.F. n.d. “Andrew Foster; The Deaf Will Hear the Words of the Book.” Accessed April 4, 2015. http://www.aaregistry.org/historic_events/view/Andrew-foster-deaf-will-hear-words-book • Ojile, E.O. 1994. “Education of the Deaf in Nigeria”. In The Deaf Way: Perspectives from the International Conference on Deaf Culture, edited by C.J. Erting, R.C. Johnson, D.L. Smith, and B.D. Snyder. Washington, DC: Gallaudet University Press • Oteng, F.S. 1988. Give Them a Name. Ashanti, Ghana: Ashanti Regional Association of the Deaf • Tetteh-Ocloo, S.L. 1965. “Training and Certification of Teachers of the Deaf.” In Proceedings of the First Conference on the Education of the Deaf in Africa, edited by Andrew Foster. Ibadan: Toyobo Press • Andrew Foster Touches Eternity 31
- 32. THANK YOU Andrew FosterTouches Eternity 32