Abdol tells us about the unusual circumstances of his meeting with his soul matehis wife who is deaf and mute.
Love stories arise from physical or virtual encounters, fortuitous or by appointment. The one between Abdol and his wife was born from the search for a chewing-gum.
That was three years ago. On his way to a date, Abdol decides to freshen his breath with his favorite brand of mint chewing gum.
“I stopped in a first shop to pay for chewing gum and the seller told me there was none. So I continue to a second store where I am still told there is no chewing gum. I said ok, so I continue on my way and go to a third store. And I am still told that there is no chewing gum. »
He then resigns himself to continuing on his way, for fear of making his friend wait.
A few meters from his meeting place, he sees a saleswoman in front of his table on which are displayed packets of cigarettes, biscuits and other sweets.
Abdol then decides to try his luck one last time. He doesn’t tell us if he was able to find his chewing gum. But he has surely found his soul mate. However, it came close.
After having greeted her without receiving an answer, he asks the saleswoman for the famous chewing-gum.
She hands him a pack of cigarettes. He puts the mistake down to distraction and repeats his request. This time, it’s a packet of cookies that she hands him.
On the verge of nervousness, he is about to give up when a man who was next to him explains to him that the young lady is deaf and mute.
“I turned to look at her again. I felt a strong message. There is something strong that drummed deep inside me,” recalls Abdol.
He stops. His eyes shine: “And it’s like a loud voice spoke to me. She told me Abdol, this one belongs to you, don’t go and leave it here. So I told the gentleman told the girl that I find her very beautiful and that I would like to form a very strong union with her. »
The seller’s response was a resounding no. She’s seen men pass by who thought they could easily take advantage of her vulnerability. Abdol must have insisted that she meet him the next day. They never left each other.
To facilitate communication in their relationship, Abdol decides to learn sign language.
He enrolled at the Institute for Deaf Youth of Faso in Ouagadougou. “What touched me a lot was the fact that he asked to learn the signs. For me, for a hearing person, I ask but what interest is there in learning the signs? “, testifies Lankouande Mathieu, teacher of sign language in this institute.
“He told me that his wife is hard of hearing, deaf. So that made me even stronger in my desire or I would say curiosity to move forward, to try to really instill in him this knowledge so that he could communicate with his wife. »
Abdol lives more than thirty kilometers from the institute. He had to cross most of the city to attend classes.
But that wasn’t the only difficulty he had to face: “At the beginning, a lot of friends and even close relatives were embarrassed and uncomfortable when I brought him on meetings. But everything that is behind us now.”
Abdol and his wife are now the proud parents of a two-year-old daughter: “I think I was lucky because I have a very beautiful wife and she gave me a wonderful daughter. »
The couple enjoys the best life offers them: “Living with a disabled woman is not synonymous with the end of the world or anything. It is not synonymous with a curse. That’s it, we can love and understand each other. »
Abdol feels no embarrassment to appear with his wife, on the contrary. The proof, they like to go out and dance in nightclubs.
But how does she keep up with the music? “She doesn’t hear but she feels the vibrations and I hold her against me and we dance together. »
The handicap of Abdol’s wife is far from being an obstacle for their couple, on the contrary, the newlyweds make it a strength. Moreover, they also nourish an unusual dream: “Our project is to sing in the language of the deaf and dumb. This is what Madame and I want to experience. »
