Bible Society facility gives Brazzaville’s blind people new opportunities
BRAZZAVILLE, Congo — Joyful music filled the air around Bible House in Brazzaville as some of the city’s blind and visually impaired people gathered in the grounds to celebrate the opening of a centre which, although modest in appearance, promises to make a significant difference to their lives. DedicatedFor some time, the Bible Society in Congo has been developing its work with blind and visually impaired people through a dedicated committee, Viens et Vois (‘Come and See’). Initiatives undertaken in collaboration with various partners – among them churches, government ministries and local donors – have included a project for the production of scrubbing brushes, which will in turn raise funds for other ventures. The Society was strengthened in its commitment to this collaborative approach when representatives attended a week-long seminar in Lomé, Togo, last year (see World Report 378/1). Delegates at this seminar acknowledged that, as most Societies do not have sufficient resources to effectively distribute biblical materials for the blind and visually impaired, collaboration with specialised agencies, such as those running schools for blind and visually impaired children, is vital. The partnership approach also plays a key role in addressing problems associated with funding products such as Scripture cassettes and Braille Bibles, which are expensive to produce. Shared effort Through shared effort, then, the partners
have achieved a ‘first’ for Congo: a ‘socio-cultural’
centre where blind and visually impaired people will be able to gather
for learning and recreation. Dubbed Espérance 2005 (‘Hope
2005’), this project is actually one of several which the Bible
Society has undertaken in 2004 as part of its celebrations of the bicentenary
of the Bible Society movement. It was therefore particularly fitting
that the formal opening of the centre took place on May 8, the day before
the United Bible Societies’ World Day of Prayer.
Following a ceremony made up largely of musical and other contributions from blind and visually impaired people themselves, visitors were offered refreshments and the chance to look more closely at the centre. Although only a semi-permanent structure, it promises to become a thriving facility where blind and visually impaired people will have the opportunity to learn to read the Bible in Braille, to borrow items from a small but expanding library, to learn English and to participate in music groups. Practical helpWhile its primary function is to provide practical help to blind and visually impaired people, it was clear even at the opening ceremony that the centre will also fulfil another function: that of changing society’s attitudes towards people with visual disabilities. Having received several weeks’ teaching in the run-up to the opening, a number of blind people were able to demonstrate their newly-found ability to read the Bible in Braille, a skill which greatly impressed the sighted visitors. Praising God
“Many visitors were praising God for revealing to them the mystery of using the fingers to ‘read’,” enthused Emerson Massa, President of ‘Come and See’. Mr Massa added that, by making sighted people aware of what the blind and visually impaired can achieve, the centre will play a vital role in combating their marginalisation from mainstream society. With a further three such facilities planned for other locations, the Hope 2005 project is set to challenge traditional attitudes towards visual disability right across Congo. Equally importantly, it will ensure that God’s Word becomes accessible to many more of the country’s blind and visually impaired people. People like Baurel Mioko, a member of the Hope 2005 team. “I have learned a great deal from
reading the Scriptures in Braille,” he says. “I have found
God for myself, and that has allowed me to play a full role in the church
and in society as a whole. Now I can proclaim God’s Word just like
the pastors and evangelists.” (WR 388/17 - 10/11.04) |
