Making a Difference: Bible Translation among the Dagomba and Konkomba of Northern Ghana(49 Publications in Ethnography)

How did two very different language communities encounter and make early choices about Christianity? This book is a historical record of the Dagomba and Konkomba people groups of Northern Ghana as they embraced the Bible translated into their mother tongues. Author Dr. Sumani Sule-Saa employs Professor Lamin Sanneh's groundbreaking hermeneutic of 'mission as translation' as a grid to examine the effect of Bible translation on the lives of these two very important language groups. Sule-Saa first presents a brief history of the Dagomba and Konkomba and describes their very different societal structures. He analyses early Christian mission involvement and documents the role of two Bible translation agencies among these people groups. Through a number of case studies he illustrates the positive impact of the Bible in their mother tongues. Woven throughout, Dr. Sule-Saa discusses to what degree the Christian faith has been indigenised into the ethos and behaviour of the Dagomba and Konkomba. Theological students and those interested in missions will find this book relevant as it deals with missiological issues and serves as a reference on the establishment of Christianity among the Dagomba and Konkomba. Its multidisciplinary approach will also appeal to a wider audience. Rev. Dr. Solomon Sumani Sule-Saa completed his PhD at the Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana, where he is now a full-time lecturer. He is actively involved in language and missions in northern Ghana and is currently the Director of the Centre for Christian-Muslim Engagement in Africa, under the Akrofi -Christaller Institute.

Review :
In this work, Solomon Sule-Saa undertakes a fascinating project to validate, through the stories of the encounter between the Dagomba and Konkomba of northern Ghana with Christianity, especially the translated Scriptures, Lamin Sanneh's claim of Christian mission as a dynamic vernacular translation and anti-hegemony movement. In my view, Sule-Saa succeeds in this enterprise. Reverend Professor Benhardt Y. Quarshie, PhD Rector, Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana The eminent Gambian theologian, Professor Lamin Sanneh, has taught us that, instead of assessing the gains of the Christian enterprise solely through the lens of Western missionary activity and their colonial collaborators, we should look more closely at the twin factors of Bible translation and the role of local agency in the transmission of the Christian faith. In Making a Difference: Bible Translation among the Dagomba and Konkomba of Northern Ghana, Dr. Sumani Sule-Saa employs Professor Sanneh's hermeneutic of mission as translation as an intellectual grid to examine the effect of Bible translation on the lives of these two very important language groups. Professor Philip Laryea, PhD Dean of Accredited Studies, Akrofi-Christaller Institute of Theology, Mission and Culture, Akropong-Akuapem, Ghana This work is a most comprehensive and captivating exposition of the historical and religio-cultural heritage of the Dagomba and Konkomba peoples, made alive through the translation of the Holy Scriptures. It is one of the most lucid affirmations of Lamin Sanneh's principle of Christian mission as the revitalisation of the indigenous consciousness, made possible, in a real sense, through a journey of self-discovery by the author. Professor David N. A. Kpobi, PhD Director of Graduate Studies, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana Solomon Sumani Sule-Saa has given us a work that deals with the interface between indigenous languages on the one hand, and the importance of translating the message, on the other. The ability of the author to study northern Ghanaian cultures and translation provides a refreshingly new study that is a shift away from previous studies based on southern experiences. Reverend Professor J. Kwabena Asamoah-Gyadu, PhD President, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana This book tells the story of Christian mission and Bible translation among the Dagomba and Konkomba peoples of northern Ghana. The author has assembled material from credible sources and communicated his findings in reader-friendly format. Very Reverend Professor John D. K. Ekem, ThD Vice President, Methodist University College, Ghana Translation Consultant, The Bible Society of Ghana Kwesi Dickson-Gilbert Ansre Distinguished Professor of Biblical Exegesis & Mother Tongue Hermeneutics, Trinity Theological Seminary, Legon, Ghana In this work Dr. Sule-Saa addresses Professor Sanneh's views of Christian mission as translation in a receptor language and culture. Sanneh contrasts this with Islam, which he asserts is cultural diffusion, and focuses on cultural uniformity. This is because of the Muslim claim that the Qur'an is not translatable. Carol McKinney, PhD; Anthropology Consultant with SIL Member of the Bible translation team of the Jju language, Nigeria Senior faculty of Dallas International University, Dallas, Texas Recent books by SIL International include Baranzan's People of the Middle Belt of Nigeria (2019) and Bajju Christian Conversion (2019)