Tanzania cafe employs deaf waiters to fight social discrimination

By Kizito Makoye

IRINGA, Tanzania (AA) - Dinners in Tanzania’s southern town of Iringa are enjoying a unique dining experience at a cafe whose menu not only caters to their taste buds but also speaks the language of food they have never heard of anywhere else.

Every day at Neema Cafe, where the waiters and waitresses are hard of hearing, the goal is for the orders to fall on deaf ears in an attempt to eradicate the inability surrounding deaf people.

Aptly named Neema, meaning grace in Swahili, this is Tanzania's only cafe where you have to hone your sign language skills to order a cup of hot coffee.

On its meticulously printed gloss menus, there are symbols next to each food item to enable customers to place their orders to jovial deaf service personnel.

As one of the few restaurants in the world that allows customers to place orders using sign language, the cafe wants to deliver a new dining experience and give deaf people a chance to shine, its regular customers said.

In the East African country of Tanzania, disabled people make up 10% of the 59 million population, as 1.2 million are deaf people facing limited employment opportunities due to social discrimination.

Many deaf people still face barriers when trying to find jobs. Their entry into the job market is often proving difficult, local analysts said.

However, Neema Cafe is trying to prove that deaf people can effortlessly work in customer service oriented professions, allowing them to enter and gain a foothold in the job market.

Ally Hussein, the cafe manager, said the deaf are exceptionally talented people who are not deterred by a lack of experience working at a restaurant.

“We hire deaf people to prove to the society that they are abled people who need to be empowered to live a satisfying life,” Hussein explained.

According to him, before the deaf staff takes their serving trays, they receive intensive training to help them engage with customers more effectively.

“We have also trained them to know the menu items to reduce their chances of making mistakes,” he said.

Founded by Neema Craft -- a local charity dedicated to providing training and employment opportunities for people with disabilities and changing negative views about them -- the cafe has rekindled hope to deaf communities in Tanzania’s southern highlands.

- Customer’s experience

Zawadi Mwaipaja, a regular diner at the cafe, said waiters/waitresses pay close attention to her facial expressions and never make mistakes when she orders a meal.

"When I order something, I get what I want," she remarked, emphasizing the importance of sign language in communication.

"The moment you get in, you realize there are more methods to communicate than just speech," Mwaipaja said while appreciating delicious cuisines.

For William William, who previously worked as a gardener for a low wage before landing a new job, the cafe provides him with enough room to build his self-confidence as well as the opportunity to earn enough money to support himself.

“I feel comfortable working here. Although many of my clients are foreigners, we always interact in a friendly way,” he said.

William said working in the hospitality industry has given him the avenue to fight social discrimination he often faces when looking for work.

“Many employers refuse to hire you the moment they realize you are deaf,” he said.

From locally grown Tanzanian coffee to lattes, espressos, a variety of teas, and traditional dishes, including stiff maize porridge, tourists can enjoy various traditional Swahili dishes.

The customers are given the menu as soon as they take their seats. The front page of the menu includes basic sign language that they can use to order food.

Because the waiters are deaf, they are always looking around to see if there are any customers who need service.

When customers finally decide on what they would like, they call a waiter to take their orders.

The customer then indicates to the items on the menu that they want, using the codes given to each meal or drink. Alternatively, customers can write their order on a pad of paper that the waiter always keeps on hand, along with a pen.

In an interview with Anadolu Agency via a sign language interpreter, Jane Mapembe, a waitress, expressed her excitement at landing a job and earning a decent income to support herself.

“I am very excited to work here. It is completely a deaf environment where customers experience our culture,” she said.

The most challenging obstacle for a 34-year-old woman who went deaf at the age of five after her ears were infected with an incurable illness is continually learning how to lip read.

Mapembe, who has a hearing impairment, said the experience has helped her learn amazing cooking skills.

“I’ve been here for over six years and I can’t complain,” she said through an interpreter.