THE FIRST AUDIO BIBLE
The First Audio Bible in Chichewa was launched at the Kamuzu Stadium in Blantyre on Saturday 2 September 2006. This occasion coincided with the opening of Bible Week and would later culminate in the launch of the Sena Bible.
The First Audio Bible is a unique project that started a couple of years ago and culminated in the launch which signalled the completion of the project which was made possible by O/21 Final Phase.
During the launch the Vice-President of Talking Bibles International, Mr Paul Hoekstra said, “The Bible is for many a closed book, but the First Audio Bible which I have in my hand is a closed unit, but it is an open book, because it can speak the language of the Bible.”
The Chief Justice, Mr Leonard Unyolo said “As we reflect on this new tool that comes to the Church, it’s my prayer that we will not just be technologically familiar in navigating through the Word of God electronically but seek to discern it’s most holy learning and seek to Love and fear the Lord and forever be near our God as we interact with Him in His Word. .
The First Audio Bible in Chichewa consists of selections from the Old and New Testament which is brought together with bridge material and packaged in a digital playback device that resembles a pocket size Bible. There is an introduction to each Testament explaining certain biblical terminologies as well as bridge material that act as an introduction to each selection. When the selections were made it was done keeping in mind God’s involvement with man and His plan for salvation.
Dr Gerrit van Steenbergen, who was the Translation Consultant working on the FAB is very pleased with the end result. “Not only will people be brought in contact with the Old Testament, but they will now be helped to understand better what they are hearing. The whole package is done in such a manner that it is user friendly and of top quality. It is easy to operate and the sound is crystal clear. People will definitely be able to interact with the Word,” he expressed his satisfaction.
When Mr Saizi Moyo from Rivirivi near Balaka, north of Blantyre, received the first FAB unit distributed in the world he was overjoyed. When showed how it worked and when the clear sound came out of the FAB the people fell silent and listened with great appreciation and contentment. This is a group of blind people that have formed a listening group through the Faith Comes By Hearing programme under the supervision of the Bible Society. It was a great joy to all of us to see this group of people being the first beneficiaries of the closed open bible. Mr Moyo was a happy man, he benefited from the O/21 Final Phase grant.
When asked about the distribution of the units Mr Clapperton Mayuni revealed his plans. “We have 1000 units and we will distribute them amongst the visually impaired first of all. The second group which will benefit from this will be families in the rural villages which suffer most because of poverty and lack of reading skills. I am praying that we will be able to secure more funding to bring in more units in order that more people can interact with the Word in this manner. I am also encouraged by the number of city folk that have expressed interest in acquiring the FAB and also the Talking Bible, which uses the same format,” he said.
Technology will certainly help the people of Malawi to experience the Bible as an open book although the unit is a solid and closed unit. “Oh, we can't thank God enough. It was a great time for us,” Mr Mayuni said in great satisfaction looking back at what transpired in Malawi over a period of a week.
The Bible Week was officially declared open with the launch of the First Audio Bible. The programme rolled out with Bible Marches in Blantyre from five (5) different points of the city. Celebrations were also held across the country and the theme was “God’s Living Word, Life for All”.
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