For the last few months, I have had the privilege of teaching Sri Lankan Sign Language to the actors of Tanika's journey, and advising the creative team about the culture in Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka to me is my second home, and is a place I owe my beginnings in the Deaf world to. Eleven years ago, I took a year out with an organisation that placed me in a Deaf school in Sri Lanka. Before this I didn't even know how to fingerspell, let alone sign, and it is down to the patience and good-natured spirits of those Deaf students that I eventually became fluent during my 12-month stay there. I hope I have inherited this patience whilst being a teacher of language to Matthew and Nadia!
In the last 10 years, I have been back to Sri Lanka about eight times to volunteer at the Rohana Special School. I have now passed the baton, and am running a project for British Deaf graduates to go to Sri Lanka, to work in various Deaf schools. Matthew's character of Edward forming a close bond with Tanika, and feeling so anguished to help her out of her situation is a feeling that is reflected in the Deaf volunteers I have seen. Having a positive role model like Edward is for Tanika is something that is very real and precious in Sri Lanka, and the play captures this beautifully.
Sophie Allen in Sri Lanka, 2008
From a linguistic perspective it has been interesting to explore the sign language of Sri Lanka with the actors and the creative team. Some signs make a lot more sense in Sri Lanka to me than BSL signs, and culturally there are signs in Sri Lanka to describe a mood, for example, which just doesn't exist in Britain. Trying to relay these cultural intricacies to the team was hard! The infamous Sri Lankan head wiggle is the key communicator for most Sri Lankans, whether hearing or Deaf, and it was a good place to start with the lessons. Explaining the sign for 'CAN' in Sri Lankan sign was on average covered about five times, every week, in every lesson - as the meaning in BSL is the absolute opposite.
There are lots of people like Tanika in Sri Lanka, many with a story to tell, and most without an opportunity to do so. I have met hundreds of Deaf Sri Lankans in my time there, and I hope that they would feel proud of the play that Deafinitely has produced. I certainly feel proud to have been a part of it.
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