Ouldeme New Testament (UDLWBT)
Overview
The New Testament in Ouldeme — known to its speakers as Wuzlam — was completed in 2022 by SIL International. Linguistic groundwork for the translation was laid by SIL researchers William and Annukka Kinnaird, who published foundational studies on Ouldeme tone and narrative discourse in the 1990s. Bible portions were completed as early as 2004, and the New Testament represents the culmination of decades of sustained language development and translation work in this corner of northern Cameroon. No complete Bible has been reported for this language.
Language and People
Ouldeme (ISO 639-3: udl), called Wuzlam by its speakers, is spoken by approximately 35,000 people in the Far North Region of Cameroon. It belongs to the Afro-Asiatic language family and is sometimes listed under alternative names including Uzam. The Wuzlam community maintains a distinct linguistic and cultural identity in the Mandara Mountains area.
Publishing and Organizations
Published by SIL International, which has maintained a long-term presence in Cameroon through SIL Cameroon and has supported linguistic research and Scripture translation in numerous minority languages of the country.
References
- NT (Audio) - Audio Bible, Faith Comes By Hearing