The Bible in Wolof (WOLKYG)

Overview

Kàddug Yàlla gi ("The Word of God") is a Wolof Bible translation published in 2020 by La Mission Baptiste du Senegal. The translation is the product of a project spanning over fifty years, begun in 1963 by Eric Church of the Open Brethren, who worked with Magatte Fall, a local Muslim farmer descended from the line of Wolof kings. [1] Marilyn Escher, a missionary with WorldVenture (formerly Conservative Baptist Mission Society), joined the translation team in 1972 and devoted over fifty years to the project. [2] Magatte's son Mbengue later joined the effort and studied Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic to enable translation directly from the original biblical languages. [1] Mamadou Diop, a Senegalese scholar with two master's degrees, also contributed more than twenty years to the translation before his death in 2021. [1] The translation team consulted Hebrew and Greek editions of the biblical text along with contemporary exegetical works, and the resulting text uses what the translators describe as "advanced regional Wolof." [3] The translation covers 56 books (partial Bible) and is available in both print and digital formats.

Language and People

Wolof (ISO 639-3: wol) is spoken by approximately 5,926,290 people as a first language, primarily in Senegal, where it serves as the dominant lingua franca, as well as in Mauritania and the Gambia. [Glottolog: nucl1347]

References