Making a Difference: Bible Translation among the Dagomba and Konkomba of Northern Ghana (Publications in Ethnography)

How did two very different language communities encounter and make early choices about Christianity? This book is a historical record of the Dagomba and Konkomba people groups of Northern Ghana as they embraced the Bible translated into their mother tongues.

Author Dr. Sumani Sule-Saa employs Professor Lamin Sanneh's groundbreaking hermeneutic of 'mission as translation' as a grid to examine the effect of Bible translation on the lives of these two very important language groups. Sule-Saa first presents a brief history of the Dagomba and Konkomba and describes their very different societal structures. He analyses early Christian mission involvement and documents the role of two Bible translation agencies among these people groups. Through a number of case studies he illustrates the positive impact of the Bible in their mother tongues. Woven throughout, Dr. Sule-Saa discusses to what degree the Christian faith has been indigenised into the ethos and behaviour of the Dagomba and Konkomba.

Theological students and those interested in missions will find this book relevant as it deals with missiological issues and serves as a reference on the establishment of Christianity among the Dagomba and Konkomba. Its multidisciplinary approach will also appeal to a wider audience.

Rev. Dr. Solomon Sumani Sule-Saa completed his PhD at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana, where he is now a full-time lecturer. He is actively involved in language and missions in northern Ghana and is currently the Director of the Centre for Christian-Muslim Engagement in Africa, under the Akrofi -Christaller Institute.