ARU ANIA, Dem. Rep. Congo — The town of Aru Ania, in the extreme north-east of what was formerly Zaïre, was the venue for the launch of the new common language Bangala Bible on Sunday August 24, 1997. People came from far and wide to participate in a dedication service held in the Evangelical church mission hall, reports Bienvenu Masingende, Marketing Manager of the Bible Society in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

There has been some insecurity in the region due to cross-border fighting. But neither fear of man nor of weather – it was the middle of the rainy season – was to deter the thousands who turned up for the celebration. In fact, the day dawned fine and mild, with a clear blue sky vaulting this heart of Africa; people were encouraged and their joy was evident as they gathered to hear God’s Word boldly proclaimed in modern Bangala, and to celebrate the new Bible with the rhythms and sounds of traditional music.

“I could not imagine that Bangala could be written so clearly,” was one comment about the Bible. “Now I can easily follow the preaching and the service in my language,” was another. The book shop was kept busy, after the launch, distributing almost 1,000 copies in an hour, and preparing small packets of Bibles for distribution volunteers on bicycles who would reach the remote areas more easily than any four-wheeled vehicle could at this time of muddy roads and heavy rains.

“I have bought my own copy, but I am concerned that there will not be enough for the demand here,” was another comment. The truth is that people in the Bangala-speaking region have been kept waiting for much longer than planned: the shipment of Bibles had been held up during the fighting that ended with Laurent Kabila’s army taking control of former Zaïre and establishing a new government.

Finally, the precious cargo could be released and delivered to the churches in Aru where the launch was swiftly organised. Some 4,000 people attended and not one invitation was declined. Guests included the district superintendent, who had travelled up from Bunia, some 350kms (212 miles) south, the Rev Etsea, representing the Evangelical Church of Central Africa, with his delegation, representatives from all the different churches in the region, and political and military leaders, as well as many ordinary churchgoers, all eager to discover the language of this new Bible.

Aru Ania is 2,000kms (1,212 miles) from the capital, Kinshasa, and almost 800kms (485 miles) to the north-east of the nearest Bible Society depot at Kisangani. It is only 7kms west of the Ugandan border, not far from the main town of Arua in Uganda.

Thanking all those who had been involved in the translation work the Rev Aguma Atulu, one of the translators, paid tribute to a succession of Translation Consultants including the late Dr Harold Fehderau, Dr John Ellington, Dr Jan Sterk, Dr Bukas and Dr T Wilt, as well as the project Coordinator Evelyne Kuhnle; the other members of the translation team were Mr Atulu and Mr Badanaebua.

The main churches involved in the translation were the Central African Evangelical Community and the Assemblies of God, and the UBS provided some financial support as well as consultancy and produced the Bible. to be are some 3.5 million speakers of Bangala.

In his address at the dedication the Rev Etsea challenged every Christian to use the Bible to bring one person to a knowledge of Christ in the next year. Speaking on behalf of the national Bible Society, Mr Masingende asked churches to support Bible work more effectively, and as a consequence the Evangelical church promised to start celebrating Bible Week again, and several people made immediate commitments to support the work financially and in prayer.

Bangala received its first Bible Portion in 1916 and the New Testament in 1928; but the first complete Bible was not produced until 1953. “The previous translation may satisfy the older generation, but this new Bible, in modern Bangala, will satisfy the whole of the Bangala people, and I hope it will help convert all those who do not believe,” was a comment heard after the service.