Latest News #280 – Zimbabwe
May 20, 2004

Lighting up the darkness of Zimbabwe’s ‘forgotten’ Tonga people

Edward Mutema, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Zimbabwe (in red shirt), with pastors who received the Tonga New Testament on audio cassette from the Bible Society on May 4, 2004. Binga, Zimbabwe. Photo: BSZ (ZIM04DJ-9.JPG)

HARARE, Zimbabwe — When the Bible Society of Zimbabwe distributed New Reader Portions (NRPs) among speakers of Chitonga (Tonga) last year, General Secretary Edward Mutema was determined that the Society would have ongoing contact with this population group often called "the forgotten people" because for many generations they lived in total isolation in the Zambezi valley.

Although the 16,000 NRPs – Creation, Jonah, Ruth and Noah – distributed through churches in the Binga region, where most of Zimbabwe's 112,000 Tonga speakers now live, were warmly received (see World Report 375/26), the Society was strongly aware that literacy levels among the Tonga people are low. It therefore added a second element to its efforts to bring the Scriptures to them: the recording of the whole of the New Testament in Tonga onto audio cassette. The remaining 4,000 NRPs from the print run of 20,000 copies were kept back to distribute to members of listening groups which the Society hoped would be set up following the launch of this product.

On May 4, the next stage in Mr Mutema's plan became reality when, after a journey of 1,000 kms (650 miles) from Harare, he presented the Tonga New Testament on audio cassette to a group of pastors in Binga. With transport very scarce in the area, many of the pastors' journeys were no less arduous than that made by Mr Mutema, but this was soon forgotten as the launch got under way. Indeed, Mr Mutema witnessed their faces start to "beam with joy" as they listened to some Bible stories and realised that here, for the first time, was God's Word in a medium which all Tonga people could understand.

This joy was put into words by pastor Jeffrey Muleya. "There is hunger for God's Word here," he said. "These efforts by the Bible Society will enable us to take the Gospel to the people."

Almost as soon as the launch had taken place, the pastors began looking for opportunities to put the cassettes into use. Fuelled by enthusiasm, the group went straight to the local hospital, which had recently received a cassette player as a gift. Here, they arranged to work with the nurses so that the patients would have the opportunity to listen regularly to God's Word.

Edward Mutuma, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Zimbabwe (right), hands a copy of the Tonga New Testament on audio cassette to a local pastor on May 4, 2004. Binga, Zimbabwe. Photo: BSZ (ZIM04DJ-10.JPG)

For Tonga people living in more rural environments, however, a cassette player is not necessarily available. Tackling this issue, as well as providing biblical material which addresses specific problems such as poverty and unemployment, will be the next stage of the Bible Society's work among the Tonga people.