The government used Borj Assalhi, known as the deaf village, to squeeze money from donor organisations. The village, however, has not profited from its fame.
Beneath the spinning wind turbines where mountains roll down to sea level, the village Borj Assalhi sits on the horn of the Tunisian map.
The government used Borj Assalhi, known as the deaf village, to squeeze money from donor organisations. The village, however, has not profited from its fame.
Beneath the spinning wind turbines where mountains roll down to sea level, the village Borj Assalhi sits on the horn of the Tunisian map.
Established during the Ottoman occupation, the settlement has become known as the deaf village due to its large number of residents who are unable to hear or speak.
The village, some 100 kilometers away from Tunis, is named after a tower overlooking sea. Locals make a living from agriculture and fishing. Fathi Balagha, who hails from the area, says about 50 deaf people live there.
Fathi pins the frequency of the condition on inter-marriage in the village. Deaf people, he says, tend to marry relatives in the settlement because they can’t afford expensive dowry payments.
The local and international media shone a spotlight on the plight of the village, prompting authorities to encourage exogamy until the problem declined. These days, no newborn babies inherit deafness. There are only a few cases of the once common phenomenon, for instance, Aliyah Assalhi, whose six- member family is entirely deaf.
International limelight
Despite the local and international media’s enthusiasm for the story of the deaf village, the settlement failed to profit from its fame, according to Fathi. Conditions remain basic and the deaf families are marginalized, living on either limited public assistance or seasonal agriculture and fishing using traditional methods.
Abdulwahed Balagha says that the regime used the village to squeeze financial aid from non-profit organizations. However, none of these grants and social projects ended up in Borj Assalhi, instead the benefits were channeled into other villages. Abdulwahed said that authorities maintained the media’s stereotype of Borj Assalhi as a deaf village, to maximise international donations.
Villagers complain that their settlement is overlooked by the state. While other villages benefited from development activities, they were left to earn a meagre income from the sea or in dressmaking shops, earning a monthly income of less than 100 dinars (US$63).
Glimmer of hope
Only one sign of development in the village came with the arrival a handicraft project set up by a woman called Serelyan who provided jobs for young people in the village, working in carpentry, dressmaking and embroidery. It enabled them to learn skills, which could benefit them later in life. Abdulwahed said a significant number of deaf people from the village and its surroundings were trained at the centre. However, when Serelyan moved on, people’s hopes were dashed.
Mawledi Asslahi, a 27-year-old village local, sits in the local coffee shop after working at the sea. “Look at me!”, he told Correspondents, using sign language.”I am in good health, able to carry out whatever work, and have got a certificate in carpentry. However, I have been marginalised and excluded for many years. Is our fate as dumb people to live on the margins of life?”
Mawledi explained that he views the sea both as a problem and a solution. While he is forced to spend his days trying to make a profit from fishing, it also offers glimpses of a brighter future. Over the sea is Italy, Mawledi says, pointing at the sea. That, he explains, is a place where they don’t punish a human being for being deaf.
