The New Testament in Kinga (ZGAWBT)

Overview

The New Testament in Kinga, published in 1961, is one of the earliest Wycliffe Bible Translators projects in Tanzania. ^[1] The translation was produced by early missionaries working among the Kinga people in the Livingstone Mountains (also known as the Kipengere Range) of southwest Tanzania. ^[2] However, the 1961 translation used an alphabet with errors that made the text difficult to read for subsequent generations, and printed copies eventually went out of circulation. ^{[2] [3]} This led to a comprehensive revision project under SIL International’s Mbeya Cluster Project, which coordinated translation work across thirteen languages in the region. Rev. Saul Lwilla served as the mother tongue translator for the revised Kinga New Testament, and Rev. Ahimidiwe Mahali served as translation coordinator. ^[3] The revised New Testament was celebrated in September 2020 in Makete Town, Mbeya Region, at a neutral public venue to emphasize its value for all Kinga Christians regardless of denomination. ^[3]

Language and People

Kinga (ISO 639-3: zga), also known as Ekikinga or Kikinga, is spoken by approximately 140,000 to 217,000 people in Tanzania. ^{[1] [2]} The Kinga people inhabit the Kipengere Mountain Range (Livingstone Mountains) in Makete District, near Lake Malawi. ^[2] The Kinga-speaking community actually encompasses three related but distinct languages: Kinga proper, Mahanji (approximately 4,500 speakers), and Magoma (approximately 9,500 speakers), though each group maintains a separate ethnic identity. ^[2] The region is religiously diverse, with Roman Catholic, Lutheran, Baptist, Pentecostal, and Moravian Christian communities present. ^[3] The Kinga are known as skilled business people who travel extensively throughout Tanzania’s major cities. ^[2] [Glottolog: nucl1379]

Publishing and Organizations

Published by BFBS, London. Translation type: First. Copyright held by Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.

References

• Ʉtesitamentɨ Ʉmpya mu nzovele jya Kɨkɨnga - Online text, Wycliffe Bible Translators, Inc.
• [1] Kinga language resources - Joshua Project. Speaker data and translation timeline.
• [2] Kinga language overview - TanzaniaScripture.com. Language, people, and translation project details.
• [3] Tanzania’s Kinga celebrate their completed New Testament - TanzaniaScripture.com. 2020 celebration and translation history.
• Bible For Developers - DBL archive entry, Digital Bible Library
• find.bible entry - find.bible. Bible catalogue entry for ZGAWBT.
• Global Bible Catalogue - Global Bible Catalogue entry.
• ebible.org entry - ebible.org.