Village priest’s wish is fulfilled

A project update supplied by Francois Sieberhagen, UBS Media Consultant

ASMARA, Eritrea — “Can this Bible talk in Tigrigna?” asked Orthodox priest Kashi Negash Deres when I visited his village last August, and he listened to a Talking Bible recording of the Scriptures in English. Now, his wish that the people of Shamungus, 20 kms (13 miles) from Asmara, should be able to hear God’s Word in their own language has been fulfilled.

Habte Negash (centre), Executive Secretary of the Bible Society of Eritrea, explaining how the Talking Bible works while Kashi Zerom Abreha, the Chief Priest, listens with great concentration. Bible Society representatives delivered Tigrigna Talking Bibles to the village of Wekdba in February 2004. Wekdba, Eritrea. Photo: UBS Southern Africa RSC (ERI04DJ-2.JPG)

While the Bible Society of Eritrea and its partner Audio Scriptures International are still undertaking research to assess people’s reactions to the Talking Bible concept and its suitability for use in Africa’s harsh climate, the recording of the New Testament in Tigrigna, the language of almost two million people in southern and central Eritrea, has already been launched. At a dedication ceremony in Asmara attended by representatives of the Roman Catholic, Evangelical and Orthodox Churches, many references were made to the great potential for the use of recorded Scriptures in Eritrea, where illiteracy among Christians stands at almost 80 per cent.

Enthused

Bishop Abune Antonios, Acting Patriarch of the Orthodox Church, welcomed the fact that the Talking Bible will give both visually-impaired and non-literate people the opportunity to hear the Word of God, while the Rev Fessehaye, General Secretary of the Evangelical Church, enthused, “It sounds like a bird singing in the morning. The Talking Bible will help our people to interact with the Word.”

Struggled

Bible Society Executive Secretary Habte Negash received many requests to develop the Talking Bible program further.

“People will ask for this Talking Bible,” said Bishop Abune. “Please try and find money to bring this to our people! You cannot wait too long.”

One place where the Talking Bible in Tigrigna is already having an impact is Wekdba, a village on the outskirts of Asmara. Here, Bible Society representatives who visited at the beginning of February found that people initially struggled to operate the Talking Bible, which is a lightweight unit made up of a tape recorder contained within an outer case resembling a Bible. After a while, though, their faces started to light up as they heard the Scriptures in Tigrigna and realised that they could now hear God’s Word in their own homes at times convenient to them.

Smiled

One woman, 64-year-old Fikadu Kelata, smiled broadly when asked if she and the 13 people who share her family home would be willing to listen to their new Talking Bible for at least 10 minutes every day. “We will!” she responded. “I cannot read, but now I can listen to the Bible.”

The chief priest of the village, Kashi Zerom Abreha, thanked the Bible Society for bringing the Talking Bibles, but he, too, pleaded for more. “You don’t have to research the Talking Bible,” he told Mr Negash. “It is already working. Please bring more! You brought us the printed New Testament, but many cannot read it and so this is wonderful.”

(WR 385/16 - 4/5.04)