Newly launched New Testament brings message of peace and forgiveness

The event was attended by over 500 people. There was the reading of Migaama Scriptures, presentation of certificates, singing, dancing and eating. In addition, there was a ‘race’ by some local chevaliers (horse riders) which emphasised the spirit of cooperation and harmony over competition.

Coming just 12 days after the Chef de Canton Migaami had been enthroned, the New Testament launch was a wonderful complement to that ceremony. The enthronement had been the catalyst for a number of village chiefs who had been in conflict with each other for many years, to offer forgiveness to each other and to reconcile. The New Testament launch was marked by the united presence of these local chiefs.

Many of the speeches emphasised how important it was to read this book and that it is a valuable treasure – not only for Christians, but also for Muslims.

Djerambeté Samuel, the provincial general secretary and a Christian, commented: ‘When I read God’s word in my own language, I don’t need a lot of extra explanation. I understand it better in my language than I do in French, even though I am educated.’

And he continued: ‘There is nothing more important than to read in your own language – official languages are not sufficient. Local languages allow development activities that succeed better than in an official language.’

One Migaama speaker, Adoun, said: ‘I feel so light listening to the New Testament in Migaama.’

The Migaami population is estimated at about 70,000, residing largely in central Chad. (Migaama is the language and also refers to one person; Migaami refers to the community and to two or more people.)

The translation committee was formed in 2000, and the first translations were published in 2001 as small booklets – The Good Samaritan, Jesus Blesses the Children, and The Father who Forgives.

Missionary outreach to the Migaami began in the 1940s. Today the number of Christian households in the village of Baro (the main Migaama village) is about 60 (meaning around 400 Christians). There are also Migaama Christians in the bigger towns and the capital city, N’Djamena.

Notes to Editors

1. For further information, call Jeremy Weightman at the Wycliffe Communications team on 0300 303 1111 or jweightman@wycliffe.org.uk.

2. Wycliffe Bible Translators seeks to create a world where everyone can know Jesus through the Bible. It does this through a range of activities, including Bible translation, literacy and Scripture use initiatives. Currently, Wycliffe has 360 people from the UK and Ireland serving 530 million people who speak 350 languages in 71 countries. Of the 7,300 or so languages spoken worldwide today, only 717 have the Bible. Around 1.5 billion people (1 in every 5 people) do not have the Bible in their language. As a result, translation of the Bible into people’s languages is one of the critical needs in world mission, to enable the growth of evangelism and discipleship ministries.

3. Wycliffe and its partner organisations are currently involved in about three-quarters of global Bible translation efforts.

4. Images. You can download the following images to accompany the press release, by clicking on the ‘Image’ link and then saving to your desktop. All images should be credited as follows: © 2021 Wycliffe Bible Translators.

1. A Migaami woman holds her Migaama New Testament.

2. Noel, a member of the Migaama translation team, holds his New Testament.

3. The horse race.

4. Selling copies of the Migaama New Testament.

5. Banner welcoming people to the launch event.

6. A Migaami woman holds her copy of the Migaama New Testament.

7. Map of Chad with the Migaama region marked.