Photo: The Ammons arrive in Uganda without their luggage after four flights from Russia.
[EDITOR’S NOTE: excerpt of report]
Israeli dancers Jill and Amnon Damti recently toured and performed in Africa.
They share their experiences: “Our tour to Africa was arranged through the Israeli Foreign Ministry. The tour began in Russia.”
The couple represented Israel at the 2 International Paralympic Games. People in the Russian deaf community flew in 2 hour flights from Moscow to watch them perform.
“We were interviewed by many journalists right before our program. There was a debate what interpreters to use. I spoke English (with Israeli sign language), and was translated to Russian and then to Russian Sign language (there was a Russian –Hebrew translator as well). The audience were deaf, hearing, dance lovers, members of Jewish community.
They also performed for children from age 3-12 at Ambrossou International school, children who know dance and mime, but perhaps for the first time have seen a professional dancer who was born deaf.
Taught all the children to sign in Israeli sign language.
They also gave performance at Little Light Children Center where children were brought in from the slums to learn at this center and get a hot meal. Most of the volunteers are Israeli.
Walked and drove through the slums where sewage water runs everywhere was heartbreaking , we were called Amazungo! (white man) suddenly Amnon ,the Yemenite man, was the whitest around.
“Another long drive out of the center of Kampala, we met a dedicated principal speaking Uganda sign language, we arranged their dining room area, the sound system here was not connected well (but mostly everyone was deaf..) 300 deaf kids in front of us, enchanted by the fact that an international deaf born dancer was in front of them and that he was dancing and married to a hearing woman, facts that they could not grasp . We tried (without success this time) to bring in children who were deaf–blind, deaf-autism, and other disabilities . Interpreting to Uganda sign was quite dull, but this happens worldwide.. leaving there was difficult, they all wanted to continue to communicate and dance with us.”
“On our last day in Entebbe at Busii Island Orphanage run by minister Drake, a Humanist and Israel lover.
“It is hard to express the magnitude of magic that we brought and received” Drake wrote us “in just 40 minutes of your performance, you changed these children and gave them confidence that everything is possible!”
Upon leaving we taught all –the word Shalom in Hebrew and while signing in sign language. We wish we could have stayed longer but we had to catch our flight to Nairobi. We shall see you again –Shalom.
In Kenya, they performed at the Closing Ceremony of the Israel Film Festival at National Museum of Kenya. Organized by Israeli Embassy, the beautiful event brings Israel and Kenya together through film and art.
There is a small Jewish community in Nairobi with a beautiful center, Nairobi Hebrew Congregation was a family event. It felt like we were performing on some Kibbutz with all ages.
We performed for a group of 300 to-be special education teachers at Kise-Kenya Institute of Special Education.
They also performed at Deaf Association of Ghana in Accra Ghana. “Our reception was special there. It was very hot in the venue, not enough working lights, full of mosquitoes, but the energy between us and the deaf community was magical. There was also a group of deaf hip hop dancers that joined us! It was a big surprise for them to accept and comprehend that we perform together and are also married. When they asked me – why I married someone deaf. I answered-” I didn’t marry ‘someone’ deaf I married Amnon”.’
We drove about an hour away from Accra to Demonstration School for the Deaf which has about 500 deaf students.
In Dakar, they performed at Ecole Renaissance Des Sourds, a school for the deaf run by a missionary couple. While in Senegal, they had their final performance at Grand Theatre Gala Event held to celebrate 60 years of Mashav. “It was a breathtaking event. Ambassadors and 250-300 dignified guests sat down to celebrate cooperation between Israel and Senegal.
Source: Jill & Amnon Damti
