Portions for Fijians “bittersweet”By Jese Temo, Editor of Good News for the Pacific, the newsletter of The Bible Society in the South Pacific
SUVA, Fiji — There was great rejoicing when a Romanised Fiji Hindi version of the Gospels and Romans was launched on June 29 at a park in central Suva as one of the events staged to mark the Bible Society in the South Pacific’s 2002 Bible Week (see Latest News #206). The Portion will make God’s Word accessible to the many Fijian Indians who cannot read the Hindi Bible in the Indian Devanagari script. ControversyHowever, the translators who worked on this project regard its completion as a “bittersweet achievement”. This is because their work has been the subject of considerable controversy in the Fijian media. Some wealthier members of the Indian community, which accounts for around 40 per cent of the total population, regard Fiji Hindi, although widely spoken, as inferior to ‘pure’ Hindi and unsuitable for use in formal contexts, including worship. They have expressed strong opposition to what they regard as an endorsement of Fiji Hindi, and this view is shared by some of the Christians who account for three per cent of the Indian population. For the Bible Society, it was important to make God’s Word accessible to ordinary people. Its commitment to the project has paid off, as there has been very strong demand for the new Portion among poor Indians in Fiji. There has also been interest from other countries: indeed, orders have even been received from India. The Society now hopes to raise sufficient funds to print 100,000 copies to be distributed free to Fiji’s non-Christian Indians. This initiative will culminate in an evangelistic program in September 2003. (WR 370/4 - 9.02) [PHOTOS] e-206 |
