Zanaki


Bible Translation is hard work!  (Click here to see more pictures)

Zanaki looking at alphabet chart (pastor on left)
So far, the Zanaki language has the following books in their language: Luke, Ruth, and Jonah. 
They are working on Translating: Genesis.

You can be praying that:
  • Churches and families would use the new book of Luke that they have in their own language.
  • That a choir singing Zanaki songs would do well in touring local churches.
  • The work of Translation would continue, and people will choose to follow Jesus and not be afraid of spirits.


Population: about 100,000 Zanaki people

Religion: Some Christians, some Muslim, and many still follow the Traditional Religion. The Zanaki Traditional Religion has a lot of rules to follow.  Every clan has a taboo animal that they cannot touch or eat.  This animal is different in every clan, but might be a hippo, a snake, or a zebra. They worship their deceased ancestors and think it is very important to keep their spirits happy.

The first president of Tanzania, Julius Nyerere, was from the Zanaki language group.  Nyerere was loved by his country, and the Zanaki are proud to call him family!  Nyerere was a strong Catholic and translated the Gospels and Acts into Swahili.  He also tried to write a bit in Zanaki (the language he grew up speaking at home) and did what he could to help his people.


Here are a few stories about the Zanaki people and translation work.  

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Meet the TRANSLATORS!


This is Willy Futakamaba, a Zanaki translator. Before becoming a Bible translator, he was a pastor in the Anglican church. He's married and has four children of his own.  He has also raised his sister's two children after she and her husband died. Willy has gone to university (college) in Kenya and South Africa, so he's quite well educated and has traveled outside Tanzania a bit. He's got a great sense of humor, and sometimes he laughs so hard he cries and can't talk!!!

This is Shem Koren, the other Zanaki translator. He is an assistant pastor in the Mennonite church, and was raised on the local Mennonite Bible College campus. Both his parents worked for the college, and he grew up playing with missionary kids, so he's very comfortable around people from other countries. Shem is a total extrovert and loves to talk and be with people. Before becoming a translator he was a missionary-church planter working with an unreached people group here in Tanzania. He understands what it means to try strange foods and live in very different conditions from what you're used to! He's married with four children, and his mother and grandmother live with him too.  He says it's hard to have so many women telling him what to do at home! :)
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