Fake sign language interpreter at Nelson Mandela's memorial sparks international outrage

During Nelson Mandela's memorial service on December 11, 2013, a man standing near world leaders, including then US President Barack Obama, was exposed as a fake sign language interpreter. His hand gestures were described as meaningless, leading to international outrage and questions about diplomatic protocol and disability inclusion. The man appeared alongside service organizer Cyril Ramaphosa and other world leaders at Johannesburg's FNB Stadium. Questions about his authenticity first arose on Twitter, with Bruno Peter Druchen, national director of the Deaf Federation of South Africa, tweeting to "get RID of this CLOWN interpreter." Druchen, who is deaf, stated the person was not using sign language at all. South African Sign Language interpreter and trainer Francois Deysel confirmed the signs made no sense and were an embarrassment to the profession. The Deaf Federation of South Africa later told the BBC World Service that the man was not recognized and had never been trained to sign. The World Association of Sign Language Interpreters WASLI also stated he was not using any accepted form of sign language, with Sheena Walters from WASLI noting the repetitive signs and lack of usual facial expression. Charlie Swinborne of The Limping Chicken, a British blog for deaf people, described the man's actions as effectively oppressing deaf people by mocking their language.