New Testament in Tumbuka speaks
to blind man’s heart

A man reading Braille. Torch Trust, Wycliffe Associates and the UBS are working together to supply the Tumbuka NT in Braille to visually impaired people like him. Photo: Torch Trust/Janet Stafford (MAI06DJ-81.JPG)

MALAWI — “This is a most wonderful day.” The Rev Lemy Chesi opened the Gospel of John in Tumbuka Braille and ran his fingers over the dots to find the story of Nicodemus coming to Jesus by night, in chapter three. Mr Chesi’s joy at being able to read God’s Word in his own language for the first time was witnessed by Janet Stafford, a representative from UK-based Torch Trust for the Blind who regularly visits the organisation’s African base on the outskirts of Blantyre.

In addition to Torch House, there are around 70 Torch fellowship groups across Malawi, serving a blind population of around 18,000. The facilities at Torch House include a lending library of Braille and giant-print books, and a Braille production unit where Scriptures in both local languages and other African languages are produced. Having already made available Scriptures for speakers of Chichewa, Sena, Shona, Bemba, Igala and Hausa, Torch Trust recently turned its attention to Tumbuka, spoken by around 1.3 million people in Malawi, Zambia and Tanzania.

With Wycliffe Associates having agreed to type in the Tumbuka New Testament, Torch Trust also turned to the United Bible Societies (UBS) for support. UBS will contribute at least US$ 7,600 this year to this project, allowing around 1,345 Braille volumes, both Portions and New Testaments, to be produced.

First copy

The first copy of the Tumbuka Braille New Testament went to Mr Chesi. “This will help me when I am transferred to a church of my own Tumbuka-speaking people,” he told Mrs Stafford. “But for me now, this is tremendous – the New Testament in my mother tongue! It speaks to my heart: I don’t need a dictionary to understand it like I do for Chichewa. To be the first person to have a copy of the Tumbuka New Testament in Braille is a real privilege. I am overwhelmed and am lost for words. I just praise God!”

The Bible Society in Malawi will now take some copies of the Tumbuka Braille Scriptures into stock and distribute them to schools and resource centres, while individual requests will be handled by Torch Trust.