In the northern Malawian town of Chitipa, thousands gathered to celebrate the launch of the first complete Lambya Bible.
The culmination of a 21-year translation effort, the Bible was formally dedicated and presented to the community during a five-hour programme of music, dancing, singers and even acrobats. Attendees were reportedly visibly joyful as many received one of the first 1,000 copies to be distributed.
John Sikwese - part of the translation team since 2004.
Translators who had worked tirelessly on the project were honoured, including 90-year-old John Sikwese, who has been part of the translation team since the project began in 2004. The New Testament was completed in 2016, followed by the Old Testament in 2023, and the final publication taking place this year.
The day after the celebrations, additional copies were given out to local churches, bringing the total number released to about 6,000.
Steve Lancaster, Director of The Word for the World UK (TWFTW) – who spearheaded the project – described the day to en: “The event kicked off with a procession through the dusty streets of Chitipa; music blaring from the portable speakers, which were stacked up on a slow-moving truck. T-shirts were adorned with TWFTW logos, and a banner proudly proclaimed that it was time for the Lambya Bible to be dedicated.
“We arrived at the ‘venue’ – which turned out to be an open area of land with a selection of old UNICEF tents, pitched to shelter people from the sun. There certainly wasn’t room in the church for the 2,500 people who had gathered to witness the event. The organisers had even arranged for a couple of armed guards to be present [to] prevent the inevitable crowd surge.
“Having been shown to our seats, we perused the printed programme which had 27 items on the schedule! And with every speaker having to begin by thanking the chief, the headmen, the chairman, the board, the organisers and more, it was no surprise that it turned into a five-hour event!
“As the ceremony drew to a close, the bandana-wearing chief of the Lambya people – who had been waiting patiently for five hours – stood to address the crowd. His first act of gratitude was to present the organising committee with a cow, which was led into the ‘arena’ to the sound of much applause!
Lancaster and TWFTW team are praising God because the Lambya people can now read God’s Word in their heart language.
