Logooli New Testament Now in the People’s Language

by the Rev Henry Kathii, General Secretary, Bible Society of Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya — Hundreds of Christians from all walks of life streamed into the Friends’ Church in Kidudu, near Vihiga, on April 20, 1997. This was a very fitting place for the new Common Language Logooli New Testament to be launched, since it was here that the first Logooli Bible had been presented to the people in 1952.

Men and women, young and old, had come with the same sense of anticipation, to witness the launch of the new translation, and ultimately, to receive God’s Word in a language they could understand.

With a seating capacity of about 2,000, the church was soon overflowing with worshippers, and many had to sit outside on the grass. Choirs from several churches, including a Salvation Army choir impeccably dressed in their white uniforms, had come to participate in this special occasion, and the congregation was blessed by their songs of praise.

Pioneering

"The Word of God has been the key to pioneering literacy work in many languages in the world. For a long time, the Bible was the only written literature in the Logooli language," said the Rev Shem Irangi, chairman of the Logooli translation project.

Mr Irangi went on to recount the history of the Logooli Bible: the Gospel of Mark was first published in 1911; then a revised version was published in 1914 by the American Bible Society (ABS). The first New Testament was published in 1929, also by the ABS, who helped with the publication of the first complete Logooli Bible in 1952.

Work on the new Logooli translation started in 1987, after the churches expressed the need for a Bible that spoke to people in their current, everyday language. The old translation was deemed too literal and unnatural, as well as being inaccurate in a number of places, and the orthography was also unsatisfactory.

Translators John Kewogo Kisambo and Shem Omollo, who began working on the new Logooli translation, were later replaced by Bishop Asava and Mr JA Muguda. Mr Muguda left the project after a short time, and Pastor William Mahasi joined the team. However, he too left in 1995, and Bishop Asava was joined by Pastor Ernest Mugunda.

Now that the New Testament has been published, Bishop Asava and Pastor Mugunda continue working on the translation of the Old Testament, with the help of UBS Translation Consultant Dr Mikre-Selassie. At the launch service, Dr Mikre-Selassie thanked the translators, the churches and the local community for their part in the success of the completed New Testament.

The General Secretary of the Bible Society of Kenya (BSK), the Rev Henry Kathii, explained to the congregation the mission of the Bible Society. He said it had taken 12 years for the new Common Language New Testament to be published, and urged local Christians to continue supporting the translation work, to ensure a quick completion of the Old Testament.

"I challenged the congregation to read God’s Word and allow it to make a difference in their daily lives," said Rev Kathii, "and it gave me great pleasure to watch people scrambling for the new Scripture at the end of the service."

Delight

On receiving their copies of the New Testament, many Logooli speakers expressed their delight. Mrs Doreen Aluda of the UBS Africa Regional Service Center said, "The language of the old Logooli Bible was too difficult for me to understand, let alone my children, but this new translation of the New Testament is written in a simple, clear style that speaks directly to our hearts." Another member of the congregation said, "Our lives will never be the same again!"

As the church leaders and the congregation rose together to dedicate the New Testament, there was ululation and expressions of joy, and someone shouted: "This is a wonderful day! May God’s Word speak to us all."
 

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This page was last updated on Monday, 22nd September 1997.