Bible work in Burkina Faso seen at first hand

Transporting live chickens on a motorbike with a rather overloaded bush taxi in the background on the main road that joins the north and south of the country. Burkina Faso. Photo: BFBS/Sarah Hooper (BRK05DJ-9.JPG)

By Sarah Hooper, Marketing Executive, British and Foreign Bible Society

BURKINA FASO — Earlier this year, while visiting a friend who is working for a mission in Burkina Faso, I took the opportunity of visiting the Bible Society there to learn more about its work.

In this country of 13 million people, of whom only 15 per cent are Christian, the Bible Society has a staff of six working hard to give people the opportunity to encounter the Bible message, whether they live in the capital city, Ouagadougou, or the smallest village in the countryside.

The Bible Society is based in the centre of Ouagadougou but will move eventually to a new building at Ouaga 2000 – a brand-new area under development on the outskirts of the city. All the plots of land have been bought but the Bible Society is one of the first organisations to start building and in five years’ time it will be in the centre of everything. The facilities will include offices, conference and lecture rooms, a Bible shop and a library and archive.

Translation

Although 66 languages are spoken in Burkina Faso, the complete Bible is only available in Mooré and Bobo Madaré. So many people read the Bible in French, the main official language.

The Dagara and Dioula Bibles are due to be dedicated soon and work on the Fioula translation is about to begin.

General Secretary Pastor Dramane Yankiné talked about the importance of Bible translation and said that the Minister of Culture reinforced that point at the launch of the Bible in Bobo Madaré (see previous article): “Bible translation work is extraordinary for preserving a language. This is the only printed book in Bobo Madaré.”

I met the translation team – Albert Ouedraogo, Pastor Jean-Pierre Tapsoba and Pastor André Zongo – who were on a training course with Ane Garber Kompaoré, a translation consultant.

Congregation at the "Serving in Mission through Prayer" (SIM) church in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Photo: BFBS/Sarah Hooper (BRK05DJ-48.JPG)

Mr Zongo explained the importance of his job. “I am very happy to be a translator. The advantage is that I get to know the Bible better and understand and discover more each day. The Bible can play a huge part in preserving a language.

“Radio Evangile Développement broadcasts a daily reading from the new Mooré Bible in Ouaga, Bobo-Dioulasso and four other large towns. Someone rang the station to say how much clearer the new translation was compared to the old one and asked where they could buy one,” Mr Zongo added.

Martha Diero, who works for Serving in Mission (SIM), also spoke about the importance of Bible work in Burkina Faso.

“Lots of people read the Bible in Burkina Faso and not just Christians – Muslims read it too. Young people are asking for copies for themselves. Many people don’t have the money to buy their own copy though.

“When I first read the Bible, I discovered a God for me. I read it every day and discover more about what God wants for me. As I study it, I understand more and it has changed my life.”

Faith Comes By Hearing

I met a team of Faith Comes By Hearing (FCBH) promoters who have been trained to spread the word about the program across the country. Twenty-two listening groups are already established and the team aim to have 200 groups by the end of 2005.

I joined the Wednesday evening FCBH listening session at the Assemblies of God Church in Gounghin near the centre of Ouagadougou. It was in French so people were predominantly in the 20-35 age group and they had all battled through the busy rush-hour traffic to get there on time. The Tuesday session in Mooré tends to draw an older audience.

Homework!

We listened to the Easter story from the Gospel of John. Some people were following with their Bibles while others were just listening … even lizards came into the church to hear the Bible! After half an hour of listening, the Pastor gathered together people’s questions and they all helped answer them and discussed what they had heard. There was a lot of fun and laughter too as people shared together. They even got some homework for next time!

Adjoumani Kouabenan was at the FCBH session with his son. “The Word of God means everything to me. It has transformed my life. I’m so happy that I had the chance to discover it. My wife and children have also become Christians.” (WR 396/17 - 09/10.05) [7 photos]