06 Dec 2016

Some Basarwa ethnic group in Nata and surrounding villages have formed a Bible translation steering committee with the aim of translating the Bible to Sesarwa to embrace and strengthen their culture.

Speaking in an interview, the San Bible Partnership coordinator and programme manager at Botshelo Trust, Mr Eben Le Ronx said they had elected a 23-member committee of people from Nata, Dukwi, Lepashe, Zoroga, Tsokatshaa, Maposa and Kutamogoree with the aim to translate the Setswana and English Bibles to Shua and Cire, which were some of Basarwa languages.     

Mr Ronx said they had been working on this since 2013 and already had translated Psalm 23, which was also in audio.

He said they managed to finish the project with the help of Basarwa elders from Nata who were engaged to proofread.

He said the aim was to unite different Basarwa languages by translating in both written and oral so that it could easily be understandable, adding that the Shua and Cire translation would also be done through memorising and recordings.

Mr Ronx said audio recordings communicated well with people because it would carter for those that could not read Shua and Cire.

He said through the help of Summer Institute for Linguistics and different missionaries, they had also managed to form a Bible society, which unites Basarwa in Namibia, South Africa and Botswana.

Through the Bible society, he said they had also translated the Bible to suit their Sesarwa languages in their respective countries. Summer Institute for Linguistics is a United States based world-wide Christian non-profit organisation, whose main purpose is to study, develop and document languages, especially that are lesser known.

Moreover, he said faith kept them going so that their language could not be lost like many other languages in Africa, which had disappeared because people embraced modernisation without creating room for their cultures.

The assistant coordinator at San Bible Partnership, Mr Moronga Tanago said since their pronunciation of words and meaning was different from other languages, it was when they decided to translate the Bible to their language so that it could be meaningful and understandable to others.

He said there were some Batswana who did not know Setswana and English well. As a result, he said their aim was also to to close the gap especially on Basarwa elders.

Mr Tanago encouraged other Basarwa to be proud and use their language especially the youth. ENDS