Introduction
In November 1993, the Denya Language Committee was born in Mukonyong. Denya is a language spoken in the tropical rain forest of Akwaya subdivision in Manyu Division, South West Province of Cameroon by more than 20,000 Anyang people in 54 villages, two of which are in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Denya people are beset by illiteracy, poverty and disease, with limited access to medical help due to poor roads. Electricity is a luxury, pipe-borne water is still to be connected.
In spite of the numerous social, economic and spiritual problems the Denya people face, God has opened a wide door of ministry. We have a translation and literacy project working under the auspices of CABTAL and sponsored by The Seed Company, USA . We?ve seen over ten years of hard work, sacrifice and great achievements in the domain of linguistics and research, material production, translation, literacy promotion, Scripture Use, and church and community involvement. This project was started in 1994 and is expected to be completed in 2007.
Linguistics
Linguistic Research and Language Development was done from 1994 ? ?96. The foundation stone of studying the sounds, words and sentence structure of Denya was laid. An alphabet, orthography, and the phonology were developed, and practical reading materials were prepared and published to teach our people how to read and write the language. Translation of the New Testament is presently 100% drafted and is going through consultant-check.
Publications
Completed are the alphabet, orthography statement, the reading and writing book, pre-primers on traditional stories or folktales, primers, dairies, calendars. Test copies have been produced for the following publications: Village Hygiene, Teacher Handbook, Bible Study Guide, Aids Big Book, a poster on cocoa production, a calendar is published and is being sold, also a songbook.
Literacy
Some 1068 children attend Sunday school classes in two denominations. Out of 25 Christians that attend Bible study classes 10 are literate in Denya and are frequently involved in reading and writing exercises. Ten are fluently reading the Luke texts and preparing short Bible study topics for their family devotions. Adult literacy classes registered 150 students in 20 communities. So far more than 78 adults are able to read and write Denya well. Literacy is being taught in 10 schools, with a population of over 1023 students. About 293 are able to read and write Denya.
Scripture Use
Three verses from different Bible books have been chosen and printed on a card. We produced 150 copies which sold at 100frs each. The Scripture Use Coordinator visited five new local churches to make a SU proposal. He also established one new SU subcommittee of 15 members
Translation
Translation work and Literacy awareness began in 1998. The last Sunday of November was Translation Sunday and 12 local churches expressed their support and encouraged translation work. Mother tongue Scripture reading is happening in 17 local churches. Our SIL friends, have a small office in Mamfe with available resources to meet the needs of Manyu languages. We benefit not only from their technical expertise but also from their moral, material, and financial support.
Anecdotes
"His Words are sweet, sweet in my heart!"
"More people want to hear the word of God preached and taught to them in their heart’s language, especially among the old folks. God’s presence has been evident in our meetings, though we are small in number. Mama Susanna, one of the new converts says, “I can now hear God talking to me in Denya. His words are sweet, sweet in my heart. I have decided to follow Him till I die."
Prayer
Please pray that Literacy and Scripture Use activities will move in a way that the whole community will be reached. Pray that the Denya people will be fully involved.
Pray for the tests and checking that are being carried out. Pray for the Coordinator, Pastor Ncha Gabriel Besong and his team, for God's strenght and favor
Last modified: 2009-02-09
