Society distributes to prisons and produces first literature in Kupsapiny language

Photo: The Rev Fr Joseph Baligeya, representing the Rt Rev Willigers, President of the Bible Society of Uganda, hands copies of the Lusoga New Testament to inmates of Jinja prison. Kampala, Uganda. Photo: BS Uganda (UGA02PC-1)
The Rev Fr Joseph Baligeya, representing the Rt Rev Willigers, President of the Bible Society of Uganda, hands copies of the Lusoga New Testament to inmates of Jinja prison. Kampala, Uganda. Photo: BS Uganda (UGA02PC-1)
KAMPALA, Uganda — The Bible Society of Uganda’s latest initiatives to distribute New Testaments to a prison in the city of Jinja and New Reader Portions in the east of the country have been warmly welcomed by those who have benefited.

The Society distributed New Testaments to officers and prisoners at the main prison in Jinja, Uganda’s second-largest city, located on the northern shore of Lake Victoria some 80km (50 miles) east of Kampala. John Bosco Tumwebaze, the Officer in Charge, described the visit as “highly appreciated”, as it helped to meet the prisoners’ spiritual needs, while the officers are required to focus on the practical aspects of the prisoners’ care.

Welcomed with choruses

In collaboration with the Uganda Catholic Church, the Church of Uganda, the Seventh-day Adventist Church and the Deliverance Church, the Society distributed 360 New Testaments in Lusoga, the language of the Basoga people who live in this region, along with 35 in other languages. More than 300 male and female inmates welcomed the eight-strong distribution team by singing choruses and playing musical instruments.

The Rev Fr Joseph Baligeya, who represented the Rt Rev Joseph Willigers, Roman Catholic Bishop of Jinja and President of the Bible Society, emphasised to the prisoners that God did not wish them to be condemned and called on them to “repent and renew your relationship with God”.

Ezra Ndagije, the Society’s Marketing Manager, explained how funds had been raised through the Proclamation 2001 initiative, while Pastor Nsereko, the Dean of the Central Field, Seventh-day Adventist Church, and the Rev Canon Kulata, the Diocesan Secretary of Busoga, both related their own experiences of imprisonment.

The prisoners were urged to turn to God and to prepare to act as Christian ambassadors after their release. A vote of thanks was given by a prisoner who expressed his intention to reform. “This time, God has touched my heart,” he said.

The Bible Society is hoping to supply Biblical material in a range of languages to all prison libraries, thus ensuring that prisoners have easy access to the Word of God.

First literature

Photo: In the eastern province of Kapchorwa, teachers and parents show their joy at receiving copies of New Reader Portions in Kupsapiny. These are the first published literature in the Ugandan form of the language; until now Kupsapiny speakers in Uganda had access only to literature produced in Kenya. Kampala, Uganda. Photo: BS Uganda (UGA02PC-2)
In the eastern province of Kapchorwa, teachers and parents show their joy at receiving copies of New Reader Portions in Kupsapiny. These are the first published literature in the Ugandan form of the language; until now Kupsapiny speakers in Uganda had access only to literature produced in Kenya. Kampala, Uganda. Photo: BS Uganda (UGA02PC-2)

In the eastern province of Kapchorwa, the Bible Society took a significant step when it distributed New Reader Portions in Kupsapiny. These are the first published literature in the Ugandan form of this language, which is spoken by around 120,000 people in Uganda but has its origins in Kenya. Until now, Kupsapiny-speakers in Uganda have had access only to literature produced in Kenya, where the language has a slightly different form. At a special ceremony at the Primary Teachers’ College, the Resident District Commissioner, Tezila Wamalwa, emphasised that the Society was doing valuable work in encouraging the teaching of Kupsapiny. Her sentiments were echoed by the Bishop of Sebei Diocese, the Rt Rev Augustine Salimo, who also praised the quality of the translation. “A good translation leads to a proper interpretation,” he said

Eager

After the ceremony, Bible Society staff travelled through the district to distribute the New Reader Portions in schools. Children showed great interest in the material, and adults were also very eager to receive copies.

The Ugandan government now plans to use the New Reader Portions as resource material to assist in the production of more literature in Kupsapiny, part of its policy of introducing indigenous languages in schools. (WR 369/7 - 7/8.02) [PHOTOS]