Latest News #302 – Mozambique
February 17, 2005

The following news concerns Mozambique.

Long wait for God's Word is over for visually impaired people in Mozambique

Timoteo Mandlate reading from the Bible at a ceremony in Maputo, Mozambique, on January 8, 2005, to celebrate World Braille Day. On this occasion, the Bible Society in Mozambique distributed Braille Scriptures for the first time. Photo: UBS Southern Africa Service Center/Evariste Munyabarame (MOZ05DJ-1.JPG)

Unpacking a box of Braille New Testaments for distribution to some of the members of the Association of Visually Impaired People who attended a celebration of World Braille Day in Maputo, Mozambique, on January 8, 2005. This was the first time that the Bible Society in Mozambique distributed Braille Scriptures. Photo: UBS Southern Africa Service Center/Evariste Munyabarame (MOZ05DJ-2.JPG)

Bible Society in Mozambique staff delivering a box of Braille New Testaments for distribution to some of the members of the Association of Visually Impaired People who attended a celebration of World Braille Day in Maputo, Mozambique, on January 8, 2005. This was the first time that the Bible Society distributed Braille Scriptures. Photo: UBS Southern Africa Service Center/Evariste Munyabarame (MOZ05DJ-3.JPG)

The Rev Valente Tseco, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Mozambique, speaking at the celebration of World Braille Day held in Maputo, Mozambique, on January 8, 2005. This was the first time that the Bible Society distributed Braille Scriptures. Photo: UBS Southern Africa Service Center/Evariste Munyabarame (MOZ05DJ-4.JPG)

The Rev Valente Tseco, General Secretary of the Bible Society in Mozambique, presenting Braille Scriptures at the celebration of World Braille Day held in Maputo, Mozambique, on January 8, 2005. This was the first time that the Bible Society distributed Braille Scriptures. Photo: UBS Southern Africa Service Center/Evariste Munyabarame (MOZ05DJ-5.JPG)

Every year, January 4, the anniversary of the birth of Louis Braille, is designated World Braille Day. This year, for the first time, the Bible Society in Mozambique was able to mark this day too. Linking with the Association of Visually Impaired People and the Christian Council of Mozambique (CCM), it arranged a ceremony for January 8, a Saturday and therefore a more convenient day for the guests. Choosing as their theme some verses from Luke's Gospel –"The Lord's Spirit has come to me, because he has chosen me to tell the good news to the poor. The Lord has sent me to announce freedom for prisoners, to give sight to the blind, to free everyone who suffers, and to say, 'This is the year the Lord has chosen'" (Luke 4: 18-19, CEV) – the organisers arranged an event which included prayer, teaching, readings from the Bible, an overview of Bible Society work and the presentation of 15 copies of the New Testament in Braille and one complete Bible in Braille to the guests who are able to read it.

"God loves you all," the guests were told by the Rev Marcos Macamo of CCM as he reminded them of the story of blind Bartimaeus. "One of the signs of God's love," he continued, "is the Word of God in Braille that you will receive today. From it you will have sight to know God and his love."

This theme was continued by Bible Society General Secretary the Rev Valente Tseco. "The Bible Society comes to offer you the book of life and sight to allow you to live and see," he proclaimed. "I believe that this material will be properly used in order to discover again and again that, despite your situation, God loves you and wishes you well."

With this event, the Bible Society has made a modest start in making the Bible more accessible for Mozambique's 26,000 blind and visually impaired people, a goal that was set after staff attended a workshop in South Africa in 2002 about working with this audience. And this vision is already beginning to bear fruit, as the words of Timoteo Mandlate, the blind man who read so movingly during the ceremony, indicate. "We are blessed!" he said. "It has been hard to find Braille material in Mozambique, but today the door has been opened for us to have sight, as Bartimaeus did. We are equipped now to see what we could not see, we are equipped to walk around in God's Word, we are equipped to preach and spread the Word of God. Be assured that we will use this material properly. Thanks so much, Bible Society. God bless you!"