Southern Africa Audio Scriptures

Our meeting was held at the Lovane Boutique Winery in beautiful Stellenbosch

Yesterday I attended an interesting meeting held in one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever seen. The region between Stellenbosch and the ocean is scenic in the extreme with rolling hills covered in autumn vineyards and craggy mountains on every side. And the weather was gorgeous and sunny.

At the meeting were representatives of Global Recordings, Bybel-Media, MegaVoice and Davar Partners. I was representing Wycliffe SA Regional Translation Services. These organizations play vital roles in supplying Scripture materials in audio format throughout Southern Africa. Activities range from securing licenses to distribute recordings, to archiving of audio, to distribution and maintenance or gadgets for people to listen to the Bible. Those in attendance were vastly knowledgeable about the task and also visionaries looking ahead to what the future might hold for Scripture distribution in this region.

There are huge challenges in setting up and maintaining supply lines for getting materials from resource-rich South Africa into the surrounding countries. I’m optimistic about the chances of these organizations succeeding in long-term sustainable distribution of Scripture in non-print formats. Their openness and collaboration is admirable but so is their expertise. In fact, I believe we’re on the verge of a revolution in distribution and resourcing for African languages. It’s an exciting time to be working in this part of Africa.