While not disclosing the exact investment made thus far, Peter Lumbuye Serumaga, the Acting Secretary General of BSU, revealed that more than 5 billion Shillings are required to complete the translation of the Old Testament and thereby create a comprehensive Rufumbira Bible.
The Bible Society of Uganda (BSU) is actively
seeking 5 billion shillings to accomplish the vital task of fully translating
the Holy Bible into the Rufumbira language. The Rufumbira Bible translation
initiative commenced three years ago through the collaborative efforts of
religious leaders and dedicated Christians.
The society has successfully translated the
New Testament into Rufumbira, a language predominantly spoken in the Muhabura
Diocese of Kisoro district. While not disclosing the exact investment made thus
far, Peter Lumbuye Serumaga, the Acting Secretary General of BSU, revealed that
more than 5 billion Shillings are required to complete the translation of the
Old Testament and thereby create a comprehensive Rufumbira Bible.
Additionally,
the society is actively working on producing a Bible for the Batwa, a minority
ethnic group in Uganda, with an estimated timeframe of 5-8 years for
completion. Among the 43 languages spoken in Uganda, the
Bible Society of Uganda has successfully translated the Bible into 20
languages.
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Rt. Rev. Godfrey Mbitse, the Bishop of
Muhabura Diocese, expressed the significance of this milestone. Previously,
they had been preaching the Gospel using Bibles written in Kinyarwanda, which
contains words not found in Rufumbira.
This accomplishment is expected to
encourage more authors to publish works in the Rufumbira language, thereby
fostering language and cultural development among the Kitumbura-speaking
people.
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The translation of the
Bible, particularly the Old Testament, is a monumental endeavor, and this
effort in Rufumbira is part of a rich history of translating the Holy
Scriptures into various languages, a practice that dates back to early
Christianity.
In Uganda, the translation journey began with the Luganda Bible
in 1887, which was followed by the New Testament in 1893. In 1896, a complete
Bible was published, affectionately known as the "Biscuit Bible."
Over time, as Christianity continued to flourish in Uganda, regional languages
also saw translations of the Holy Scriptures.
