Apam Foforɔ — First New Testament in Bono Twi (Ghana)
Overview
Apam Foforɔ ("The New Testament") is the complete New Testament (27 books) in Bono Twi (Abron), officially launched on July 28–29, 2024, at Ebenezer Presbyterian Church, Sunyani, and published by the Bible Society of Ghana (copyright ©2024). It is available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 3971; abbreviation: ABRBSG). This is the first New Testament in the Bono dialect, marking a historic milestone for the approximately 1.5–2 million Bono-speaking people of Ghana's Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo regions. A precursor Gospel of Mark in Bono Twi was published in July 2018. The Old Testament is planned for completion by 2027. The translation team was led by Rev. Daniel Asomah Gyabaa, Rev. Dr. Isaac Boaheng, and Mrs. Afia Aframa, supported by a 15-member review committee. Prior to this NT, Bono speakers used Asante Twi scriptures, which do not fully represent Bono's distinct phonology and vocabulary.
Language and People
Abron/Bono (ISO 639-3: abr; autonym: Bono or Bonofoɔ; in Côte d'Ivoire known as Abron; colonial term "Brong" is considered deprecated by Bono scholars) is a Kwa language within the Akan dialect continuum: Niger-Congo → Atlantic-Congo → Volta-Congo → Kwa → Central Tano → Akan. Alongside Asante Twi and Fante, Bono is one of the three main Akan dialect clusters. A standardized Bono orthography — distinct from Asante Twi — was approved by Ghana's Bureau of Ghana Languages in 2018, introducing characters including v and z absent from standard Twi.
Bono is spoken primarily in:
- Bono Region, Bono East Region, and Ahafo Region, Ghana (historic Brong Ahafo territory)
- Northeastern Côte d'Ivoire (where the variety is called Abron)
Estimated speakers: approximately 1.2 million in Ghana (2021 Ghana Census); approximately 300,000+ additional in Côte d'Ivoire; total ~1.5–1.9 million (Bible Society of Ghana cites "approximately 2 million Bono-speaking people").
Historical Context
The Bono hold a distinction in Akan historiography: oral tradition and scholarship agree that the Bono were the first Akan to develop a state (Bono-Manso/Techiman, established c. 14th century CE), and other Akan states — including the Asante — are believed to have emerged from or in response to Bono precedent. Bono-Manso was a major trans-Saharan gold trade center. The Asante invasion of 1722–23 destroyed the Bono Kingdom; the surviving Bono-Takyiman state and the Abron Kingdom of Côte d'Ivoire represent its successor polities. The first-ever scripture in the community's own dialect — rather than the Asante Twi dialect used as a proxy — was the 2018 Gospel of Mark and now this 2024 NT.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by Bible Society of Ghana (Accra), a member of the United Bible Societies, in partnership with the Bono Twi translation team and the Bono Traditional Council.