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MTN and Glen: The Rapper cranks the bass up to 11 in a song made for the deaf

A song for those who are deaf seems like an oxymoron but just because you can’t hear the music doesn’t mean you can’t feel it.

We bring this up because MTN has done something pretty awesome.

The mobile network operator partnered up with The LazarusMan and Hey Papa Legend to create a track for deaf, hearing impaired and speech impaired individuals.

The first iteration of the track was a hit but MTN decided to approach deaf rapper, Glen: The Rapper, to remix the track.

“The remixed track highlights the subtle differences between a hearing person’s interpretation of SASL [South African Sign Language] and how a hard-of-hearing person would interpret the hand gestures,” said MTN.

We’ve embedded the remix below.

In order to understand what Glen is saying you will need to understand SASL.

On that note MTN hopes that this track will inspire more folks to learn the language.

“Knowing how to communicate in all South African languages, including SASL, should be a goal for all. Our hope is that these tracks highlight the need for all South Africans to attempt to learn the language, and at the very least open up a conversation around inclusivity that makes the hard-of-hearing community feel heard,” executive for Corporate Affairs at MTN, Jacqui O’Sullivan, said in a statement.

For those interested in learning SASL we recommend using Real SASL online. Not only can you find videos that teach you the language but you can also search for words and letters using hand shapes.

The National Institute for the Deaf also has a playlist that teaches you important phrases, words and even numbers. You can find that over on YouTube.

The song and accompanying video also serves as a way for MTN to tell users about its Emergency USSD Service. Users are being encouraged to save *130*3272*29# on their handsets as an emergency contact.

Should they be in need of assistance MTN customers need only dial that number and select the appropriate service option. Once selected an SMS will be sent to MTN’s 112 Emergency Contact Centre and a text conversation will begin.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]

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