Deafness is a laughing matter in Colombia
inclusion
The world is currently full of dampeners for those after a good laugh, but the comic spirit of the deaf community in Colombia has not been doused by either coronavirus or hearing loss.
The Deaf Humour Festival of Barranquilla (Festival del Humor Sordo de Barranquilla) took place for the seventh year at the end of September, though this time in a virtual format through aa live YouTube stream.. The Festival brought together fun-minded hearing-impaired performers to entertain with sketches, jokes, stories, dance, and song.
The event has been taking place in this northern Caribbean coastal region city since 2014 to promote the social inclusion and rights of the hearing disabled. Organiser, Hugo Montoya, stressed that the annual show “fosters the human talent development of people with hearing impairment, stimulating healthy enjoyment through scenes of peaceful coexistence." The event has regularly taken place within the framework of International Deaf Awareness Month.
It is estimated that more than 600,000 people in Colombia suffer from hearing loss.
Source: El Espectador
