Bibleless Nations

No Birwa photo available.
This Sotho man is from a related ethnic group.
Photo: Source: Steve Evans – Flickr
Licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0

The Birwa, numbering 165,000, live mainly in the Bobirwa Subdistrict of Zimbabwe with smaller populations in Botswana and South Africa. They migrated from Transvaal (a pre-apartheid former province of South Africa) between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Main industries among the Birwa are agriculture, animal husbandry, and tourism. The soil of the Bobirwa Subdistrict is fertile. However, farming is difficult due to the inconsistent rain of the semi-arid climate. Tourism is increasingly important and is enhanced by the wildlife of the many national parks in the area. Tourists also come to experience the regional culture. Birwa crafts, foods, dances, and traditions are preserved at cultural festivals and the Bobirwa Cultural Center.

The Banda, numbering 1,317,700 are the largest ethnic group in the Central African Republic. They live in hamlets of scattered homes under the leadership of headmen. Men hunt and fish, and women gather wild foods and cultivate crops of maize, cassava, peanuts, sweet potatoes, yams, and tobacco.

The Banda are woodcarvers, crafting both general use and ritual objects. They are best known for their large slit drums. Slit drums, lacking a drum head, are played by striking near the slit and produce a resonance within the drum chamber.

There are eleven Banda subgroups in the Central African Republic, each of which speaks a distinct dialect. Many groups have at least part of the Bible, but the Banda-Banda Ndi speakers, numbering 167,000, are still in need of a translation.

146,000 Roglai people (whose language is also called Roglai) live in the Vietnamese coastal provinces of Khanh and Ninh Thuan. Evangelical Christianity among this people group is estimated at 12%. Due to persecution, an accurate estimate of evangelistic churches is difficult to assess.

Since there is no Roglai Bible, pastors and leaders study the Vietnamese Bible and speak its truths to the congregation in Roglai. They long for a faithful Roglai Bible. A church will not be strong without it. A group of capable young men are forming a translation team to address this need. Some team members will translate; others will do a back translation for accuracy’s sake. Some older men are wisely included as counselors.

Al Jazeera – Flickr
Creative Commons

The Kingdom of Bahrain is an archipelago nation located in the Persian Gulf off the coast of Saudi Arabia. Most Bahraini live on the main island. The town people usually live in apartments or houses made of cement and lime brick. The villagers live in thatched huts. The arid climate allows some dairy and vegetable farming, but most of their food is imported.

Bahrain has diversified its petroleum and commerce-based economy to include manufacturing, tourism, and international banking. This prosperous nation has a rich Middle Eastern heritage. Its people enjoy a relatively high living standard as well as free education and medical care.