Yangben New Testament — Nikál Niikɔs (2025)

Overview

Nikál Niikɔs ("The Good Word/Message") is the first complete New Testament in the Yangben (Nuasue) language, published in 2025 by CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy) and available via YouVersion/Bible.com (ID 4521). It is the culmination of scripture work that began with Bible portions published in 2007–2010, and represents one of over 36 New Testaments completed by CABTAL since its founding.

The translation builds on two decades of linguistic documentation by SIL linguist Ginger (Virginia L.) Boyd (PhD, Leiden University), who produced the foundational Précis d'orthographe de langue Nuasue (Yangben) (SIL, 2006) and a comprehensive Yangben dictionary (SIL, 2016; expanded to 3,520 entries on Webonary by 2024). The vernacular title uses the people's own endonym Nuasue (also Nu'kalong) — meaning approximately "the language/people of the Kalong" — rather than the external colonial name "Yangben."

Language and People

Yangben (ISO 639-3: yav; also Nuasue, Nu'kalong, Central Yambassa) is a Southern Bantoid language of the Mbam / Yambassa group (Guthrie A.62), closely related to Elip (ISO ekm, called Nulibie) and Mmaala (ISO mmu, called Numala) — together forming the Elip–Mmaala–Yangben subgrouping within the five Yambassa languages. It is spoken in Yangben canton, approximately 22 km south of Bokito town, in Mbam-et-Inoubou Division, Centre Region, Cameroon — roughly 112 km north of Yaoundé. Approximately 2,300 native speakers use Yangben proper (Ethnologue); the broader ethnic Yangben people number approximately 7,500 (Joshua Project). Ethnologue classifies the language as EGIDS 6b (Threatened): used as a first language by adults but not uniformly transmitted to children.

The Yambassa are a heterogeneous confederation of Bantu-descended peoples in the Bokito-Bafia area of Centre Region. The name derives from a Nulibie expression meaning "those of Ambassa," after a common ancestor. The confederation comprises four clans: Yangben (Ba-kâlong), Elip (Belibi), Gunu (Nugunu), and Mmaala. Historians trace the Yangben and Elip clans to an eastward origin, crossing the Sanaga River to settle their current territory. The village of Yangben historically served as the seat of the superior chiefdom of the Yambassa under French colonial administration.

The Yangben are subsistence farmers growing taro, yam, cassava, and cacao in the Mbam-et-Inoubou watershed. Cultural identity is maintained through oral tradition, and traditional beliefs involving fear of evil spirits and sorcery persist alongside Christianity and Islam. A distinctive cultural practice is the taboo on consuming tortoise, rooted in a founding legend about a tortoise aiding a wounded Yambassa ancestor. Christianity (Catholic and Protestant) is the majority religion.

CABTAL has also published New Testaments for the related Mmaala language (MMUCAB) and the Gavar language (GOUCAB) — both neighbours in the Centre Region — as part of a coordinated programme of Mbam-zone Bible translation.

Publishing and Organizations

Published by CABTAL (Cameroon Association for Bible Translation and Literacy), the Wycliffe Global Alliance member organization for Cameroon, formally authorized on 26 October 1987. CABTAL emerged from SIL International's Cameroon programme (active since 1969) to create a nationally-led structure for sustainable Bible translation. SIL continues to provide translation consultant support while CABTAL leads community engagement and implementation. CABTAL is active in 116 language communities across all 10 regions of Cameroon, has completed New Testaments in over 36 languages, and in 2024 alone dedicated NTs in seven communities and supported over 18,000 literacy learners. Its offices are at the Chapman Centre, Mvan, Yaoundé, with a regional training centre in Bamenda.

References