Bible translation set to secure
future
of Bobo Madaré
BURKINA FASO
— As a former Bible translator, Monsignor
Anselme Titianma Sanon, the Roman Catholic Archbishop of Bobo-Dioulasso,
has a particular interest in languages. This is why, at one stage, he
was very concerned about the future of his mother tongue, Bobo Madaré,
believing that it might not survive as a language in its own right.
Following a ceremony earlier this year, however, he knows that Bobo
Madaré has a bright future.
Committed
Monsignor Sanon was one of those who celebrated
the launch of the Bobo Madaré Bible, the fruit of 15 years’
committed work by a small team of people, in February. Already, with
the launch of the Bobo Madaré New Testament in 1996, he had seen
how a language can benefit from being the subject of a full-scale Scripture
translation project. “The Scriptures in Bobo Madaré have
done much to preserve our language and have even created new concepts
for us such as charity, love, [and] the ceremony of the bread and wine,
to name just a few,” he commented in 2002 (see World
Report 370/24). “I have come to realise that a language
can generate transformation in a culture, especially when it is written
down and available in print.”
Complete Bible
And now, with the launch of the complete
Bible in Bobo Madaré, this process is set to continue.
Given the scale of the task the translators
faced, to complete the entire Bible in 15 years is a remarkable feat,
emphasised UBS Translation Consultant Dr Lynell Zogbo in a greeting
to those who attended the colourful launch ceremony, which was broadcast
on local Christian radio. It was certainly a project which required
sustained hard work, training, perseverance and patience. But a number
of factors eased the team’s burden, including the strongly ecumenical
nature of the project (leading to the production of both Protestant
and Roman Catholic versions), the support of the Bobo-speaking community
and the fact that each translator had a computer.
Up to you
“Now it’s up to you – Bobo
speakers, community leaders, church leaders – and to the Bible
Society in Burkina Faso,” Dr Zogbo continued. “The new Bible
is in your hands and you must ensure that it is promoted. It’s
your Bible – use it!”
With many Bobo Madaré speakers
being unable to read their mother tongue, even though they may be able
to read several other languages, one of the ways in which the new translation
is to be promoted is through the Faith
Comes By Hearing audio Scripture program. The New Testament
has already been recorded and distribution is due to begin soon.
See
next article for more about Bible work in Burkina Faso. (WR
396/16 - 09/10.05)
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