The café is characterized by its extreme calmness, as there is no sound there. Sign language is the dominant factor in the café’s activity, which made it attractive to lovers of stillness. It formed a comprehensive forum and an important meeting point for the residents of Muqrin al-Nelain, whether ordinary people or “people of determination.”
At the entrance of the café, young men with hearing disabilities, “deaf”, greet customers with a wide smile, before offering them the services provided by the café, including hot and cold drinks, pastries, and some Sudanese foods.
The first of its kind
- The café was established with an idea from the Al-Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment, and funded by the French Embassy. It was inaugurated during a large ceremony in early January, and launched as the first experiment of its kind in Sudan to have a café that is fully managed and operated by people with hearing disabilities.
Pass the task
Maha Ali Suleiman, who has a hearing disability, during her interview with Sky News Arabia, expresses her happiness at working within the Enlightenment Café project, which constituted an important shift in her practical life, and it is the first time that she has gone out and worked in such a profession.
Maha, a student at the University of Sudan, Faculty of Fine Arts – Department of Fashion Design, third level, says, “Through the experience in the café, we learned how to deal with people and each other in order for the work to succeed. They also taught us, as hearing impaired people, not to be ashamed of others and to deal with them normally.” .
She adds, “I am very happy because people have accepted the idea of the project, and we found a great turnout. We expected that the issue would be difficult, given that we are deaf, but thank God, people began to deal with us normally, and we found it much easier than we expected.”
And she continued, “Istanarah Café provides services for people of determination and ordinary people, including sweets, soups, salads, various juices, and hot and cold drinks, and we will progress further after the blessed Eid Al-Fitr.”
Barrier break
For his part, Al-Obaid Ali Al-Baloula – a hearing-impaired person – expresses his happiness that he was able to participate with the deaf in this experience and was able to break the barrier of apprehension, deal with customers normally and provide them with the services available in the café with ease.
Al-Baloula told Sky News Arabia, in sign language, “We learned how to deal with customers, and we distributed tasks in the café. Some of us are responsible for hot and cold drinks, and others are responsible for pastries, shawarma, and beans, while others are responsible for accounts, and so our work goes smoothly.”
An attempt to eradicate marginalization
Khalaf Allah Al-Afif, the director of the “Istanarah Café” project, told Sky News Arabia that the idea came as an attempt to lift the prolonged marginalization experienced by people with disabilities in their various categories, audio, visual, and motor. Throughout history, they did not find anyone to care for them, organize them, and give them their rights.
He added, “We noticed the presence of deaf people in the protest processions four years ago, while they were holding each other and marching in the demonstrations, so we thought of communicating with them, and we knew that they share in the general concern, and at the same time they have talents in universities and others.”
He continued, “Indeed, they were contacted, attracted, and trained in major hotels, and the French embassy funded the project, which is an experiment in which 7 people with hearing disabilities, 5 boys and 2 girls, have participated so far, and it is expected that two others will join them after Eid Al-Fitr, as we plan to make a large public opening.” “.
Artists too
According to Al-Afif, the café is dedicated to people with disabilities, as all those who run it, from the manager to the cleaners, are from this category, and “our aim is for them to present a summary of their experiences in a work that is beneficial to people.”
Coincidentally, all the employees of the café are either graduates or still students at the Faculty of Fine Arts, as they are beautiful and friendly, and the customers love them.”
He said, “In the practical stage, these young men proved their competence in cooking and management, as they met the needs of workshops at the Khatim Adlan Center in terms of eating and drinking to the fullest and with the highest quality. It is a wonderful experience for us, and we are working to expand it to include all parts of the capital and the states as well.”
culture and social integration
Salah Manhal, one of the pioneers of the Deaf Café in Khartoum, believes that he has not been able to miss Enlightenment Café since its opening due to its advantages, as well as the kindness and magnificence of its operators, who have high capabilities in creating joy and delight in the hearts of customers.
In his interview with Sky News Arabia, Manhal believes that the Enough Enlightenment project represents a great opportunity to integrate people with disabilities into society, in addition to that it revives the culture of sign language, and encourages everyone to learn it, which facilitates communication with this important segment of society.
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