September 10, 2024
Contribution republished with permission from the British and Foreign Bible Society. See original article here.
The Bible is being published in the Kibeembe language for the first time. Kibeembe is spoken by almost a hundred thousand Beembe people in The Republic of Congo. Yonnelle, who works for Bible Society in Kibeembe-speaking areas in the south of the country, said: ‘I can’t wait to get my hands on this Bible!’
Many years of hard work went into completing the Beembe Bible, and supporters of the British and Foreign Bible Society were behind the translators all the way. Dr Christian Ntondele, General Secretary of the Bible Society of Congo, previously led translation efforts and personally worked on the Beembe Bible.
‘Publication is an opportunity to thank people who have supported this work over the years,’ said Dr. Ntondele, whose name means ‘thank you’. ‘We decided to push translation work further because our dream is to make the Bible available in all our mother languages.’
Congo’s six million people speak dozens of languages between them. Preachers might follow the Bible in French, the country’s official language, and improvise translation into Kibeembe. Dr Ntondele quoted a Beembe Christian, Hélène, complaining that this practice is inadequate. It keeps believers distant from the word of God and detracts from the worship experience.
The Beembe Bible will sit beside the first Bible in Lari, another Congolese language, which was completed in 2021. It’s a major achievement for a team determined to bring people closer to God through a deeper understanding of Scripture.
“We published the Beembe New Testament in 2013,” Dr Ntondele said. “And then we finished the Lari Old Testament to complete the Lari Bible. The Beembe Old Testament was a struggle. We had to create a script for the language. I remember one time I went to Mouyondzi and I collapsed. I was unconscious and when I woke up, I was on the ground. The project took longer than expected but it was a good experience. It went well. And now Beembe speakers can fully understand the Bible and know the will of God for their lives.”
Faith in the Congo
In the Republic of the Congo, Christianity is the predominant religion, with approximately 75% of the population identifying as Christian. Roman Catholicism is the largest denomination, comprising approximately one-third of the Christian population. Despite the strong Christian presence, indigenous religious practices continue to be observed in some communities, reflecting the country’s cultural heritage. Additionally, a small but significant portion of the population, nearly 2%, adheres to Islamic faiths.
