Mmaala (Numala) New Testament — Numala

Overview

The Mmaala New Testament is the first complete New Testament in the Mmaala (Numala) language, published by CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4518, titled "Numala2" — the "2" indicating a revised or second digital upload on the YouVersion platform). Translation consultant Zebedee Chia of CABTAL has been documented working with the Numala translation team on consultancy review sessions.

The Mmaala NT is part of a coordinated programme of CABTAL translations for the Yambassa confederation of languages: CABTAL has also published the Yangben NT (Nikál Niikɔs, 2025, YAVCAB) and works with the Elip (ekm) community in the same division. All three languages — Mmaala, Yangben, and Elip — form the Elip–Mmaala–Yangben subgrouping within the five Yambassa languages and share a common cultural and historical origin.

Language and People

Mmaala (ISO 639-3: mmu; also Numala, Mala, Benyi) is a Southern Bantoid language of the Mbam / Yambassa group (Guthrie A.62), the same subgroup as Yangben (yav) and Elip (ekm). The three languages share 70–80% lexical similarity. Mmaala is spoken in Mbam-et-Inoubou Division, Centre Region, Cameroon — in the Bokito area south of Bokito town, approximately 100–120 km north of Yaoundé. Ethnologue records approximately 17,000 speakers; the language is classified as EGIDS 6b (Threatened): used as a first language by adults but not reliably transmitted to all children.

The people call themselves Benyi (reflected in the autonym field) and their language Numala (the name used by the Fulani traders and outsiders) — a pattern of exonym/endonym divergence similar to the neighbouring Yangben/Nuasue distinction. The language is also called Mmaala in SIL and academic literature, following the Guthrie zone classification. Like the Yangben (Nuasue), the Mmaala belong to the Yambassa confederation — a heterogeneous Bantu confederation in the Bokito-Bafia area of Centre Region whose four clans are Yangben (Ba-kâlong), Elip (Belibi), Gunu (Nugunu), and Mmaala. The confederation name derives from a Nulibie expression meaning "those of Ambassa," after a common ancestor.

The Mmaala are subsistence farmers cultivating taro, yam, cassava, and cacao in the Mbam-et-Inoubou watershed. Traditional religion — involving fear of evil spirits and sorcery — continues alongside majority Christianity (Catholic and Protestant). The neighbouring Yangben village historically served as seat of the superior chiefdom of the Yambassa under French colonial administration.

Publishing and Organizations

Published by CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), Wycliffe Global Alliance member for Cameroon, established 26 October 1987. CABTAL is active in 116 language communities across all 10 Cameroon regions and has completed over 36 New Testaments. The Mmaala NT is closely coordinated with CABTAL's Yangben NT (YAVCAB, 2025) — both communities inhabit the same cultural zone and are served by the same CABTAL Mbam-zone programme.

References