By Helen van der Walt

Namibia is a remote place with very few people and a lot of dust. But spread across the northern areas of Opuwo are the Himba, living alongside many other people groups. Known for their red skin and hair, many in this nomadic language group are committed to traditional ways. Among them are a group of Christians, eager to hear God’s word and to find a cultural Christian identity in Christ.

For 10 years, the Himba translation team has done Oral Bible Translation, completing books like Genesis, Exodus, Mark, Acts, Romans and Hebrews. For a couple of years now, they have added transcription. But what about engaging with the Bible?

In early July, I was able to do some Scripture Engagement training with the team. At first, they were sceptical. But over the 4 days, the team discussed and explored many topics that would help them see transformation among their people. They are eager to pursue more training that is relevant for their community. Watjanga, the project coordinator, said,

“We started slow, and I thought, ‘What is this training?’ But then we learnt many things and I realised that, in our work, we have missed so much.”

I really enjoyed teaching this group, as they were ready with questions and amazing insight. We were able to cover topics in much more depth than I usually would. My favourite moment was when I started teaching the theology of creativity, and one of the translators and local storytellers, Wakatara, responded with wisdom about things we would be covering later that day. This is a topic that most groups have never considered before.

Another highlight was the listening group training. We spent the first day with the local Pastors Forum and learned how to facilitate a listening group. The response was incredibly encouraging, with many saying the training had come at the perfect time. The listening group method is proving to be extremely helpful for pastors, both as they plan to teach in their churches and as they support their congregations while they listen to Scripture at home. There is potential for many listening groups to start in different areas.

"When we preach, we just speak, and you don't know if people understand or misunderstand. But when you do the story with action and drama, you can see when people don't understand and you can repeat. It's really helpful for all people to understand the Bible." - Watjanga, Project Coordinator and Pastor

"Before this Scripture Engagement, I didn't really understand the Bible. But now I can see the Bible differently, and it is starting to make sense." - Margreth, IT

"I would rather join a listening group than sit through a preach." - Margreth, IT

"I just told the story of Jonah 1 to start a listening group using gestures and actions. I realised that when we preach, we only give bread and butter. First, the gestures helped me to remember and understand the story. But also, everyone could follow the story and wanted to know what comes next. This is proper expository preaching." - Edwin, Himba Exegete and Pastor

"Every story in the Bible is connected!! It's amazing!" - Deon, Translator

Please pray for the team as they continue to translate and share the Scriptures with their people. Please also pray for the Himba as they explore the issue of language status, which is a big one for the community. Using Herero and English comes with a higher status and assumption of education, whereas use of Himba or "deep Himba" comes with jokes and humiliation. The team is working to prepare the ground for the Scriptures to come in Himba, and raise the status of the culture and language.