One who speaks only one language is one person, but one who speaks two languages is two people. ‒ Turkish proverb
Happy Sign Language Day! The history of sign language in Zimbabwe dates back to the 1940s, too long a time to entertain the comfort of ignorance. This beautiful language was coined ZSL (Zimbabwe Sign Language) and it is not only an expressive tool much like any language, but it is also a tool for connecting, a culture, and an identity all in one. In not so many words, Zimbabwe’s story can be expressed in sixteen different ways and ZSL is one of them. One of the starting points in building a wholesome community experience is to push past barriers and communication is one barrier we hold the power to break through educating ourselves on different languages. That being said, these are points we consider ZSL the ideal first language to learn;
Polish Up Your Communication Skills
The likelihood is you have bumped into it at some point and possibly more times than you remember. It is for this very reason that it is important to understand what is going on around you and ZSL is a tool to connect you to your surroundings whilst having the added advantage of added knowledge under your belt.
Widen Your Friendship Circle
Learning sign language is a window for creating new links, this is because by doing your knowledge permits you to break barriers to communication with anyone who uses sign language. The activity of learning in itself gives opportunities to meet new people in your class and connect.
