IGISWAHILI ni ururimi ruvugwa n’abantu bashika imiliyoni 100 bo mu bihugu n’imiburiburi 12 vyo muri Afrika yo hagati be n’iyo mu buseruko. * Ni ururimi kavukire canke rukoreshwa mu nzego za Leta mu bihugu bitari bike, nka Kenya, Tanzaniya n’Ubuganda. Kandi mu bihugu bikikuje ako karere, usanga ari ururimi abantu bahuriyeko, rukaba rutuma abantu bo mu turere dutandukanye boroherwa mu bijanye n’urudandaza no mu bijanye no kuyaga.

Igiswahili cararanguye uruhara ruhambaye cane mu guhuza abantu bo muri Afrika yo mu buseruko. Nk’akarorero, muri Tanzaniya honyene hari n’imiburiburi indimi 114 zitandukanye zivugwa n’amoko atari amwe. Niwihe ishusho uriko uragira urugendo rw’ibilometero 40 gushika kuri 80 uvuye aho uba maze ugahura n’abantu bavuga ururimi rutandukanye rwose n’urwo uvuga! Kandi birashika ugasanga abantu bose bavuga ururimi runaka baba mu tugwati dukeyi gusa. None woyaga gute na bo? Biroroshe gutahura igituma bihambaye cane kugira ururimi muhuriyeko.

Bivugwa yuko igiswahili catanguye kuvugwa nko kuva mu kinjana ca cumi. Cagiye mu nyandiko mu kinjana ca 16. Abiga igiswahili  ntibatevye kubona ko amajambo atari make afitaniye isano n’icarabu. Nkako, nk’ibice 20 kw’ijana vy’amajambo y’igiswahili akomoka ku carabu, magingo menshi mu yasigaye akomoka muri Afrika. Ntibitangaje rero kuba igiswahili caramaze imyaka amajana nk’angahe candikwa hakoreshejwe inyandiko y’icarabu.

Muri iki gihe, igiswahili candikwa hakoreshejwe inyandiko y’ikiromani (ni ukuvuga indome nk’iz’ikirundi). None vyagenze gute? Kubera iki vyahindutse? Kugira ngo turonke inyishu, dutegerezwa kwibuka ivyabaye mu kiringo co hagati mu kinjana ca 19 igihe abamisiyonari ba mbere b’Abanyaburaya bashika muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko, bafise intumbero yo kubwira ubutumwa bwo muri Bibiliya imvukira zaho.

Mu 1499, mu gihe c’urugendo ruhambaye Vasco de Gama yagize hirya no hino y’isonga rya Afrika ryo mu bumanuko, abamisiyonari b’Abaportigale baratanguje idini rya Gatolika muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko mu gushinga imisiyoni i Zanzibar. Ariko rero, inyuma y’imyaka 200, Abaportigale hamwe n’icitwa ubukirisu vyarirukanywe muri ako karere bivuye ku kurwanywa kwahabaye.

Ijambo ry’Imana ryasubiye kwinjira muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko haciye imyaka 150. Ico gihe ho ryazanywe n’umumisiyonari w’Umudagi yitwa Johann Ludwig Krapf. Igihe yashika i Mombasa muri Kenya mu 1844, benshi mu bantu baba ku nkengera ya Afrika yo mu Buseruko bari abisilamu, mu gihe benshi mu baba hagati mu gihugu bumiye ku kwemera ibintazi gushingiye ku migenzo yabo ya kera. Krapf yabona yuko bihambaye cane ko Bibiliya ishikira abantu bose.

Krapf yaciye atangura kwiga igiswahili. Muri Ruheshi 1844, haciye igihe gito ashitse, yaratanguye igikorwa kitoroshe co guhindura Bibiliya. Ikibabaje ni uko mu kwezi kwakurikiye yashikiwe n’ikintu c’agacavutu, akaba yabuze umugore wiwe bari bamaranye imyaka ibiri, haciye imisi mikeyi gusa na ho abura agakobwa kiwe. Naho ata gukeka ko ico kintu camutuntuje, yarabandanije ico gikorwa gihambaye co guhindura Bibiliya. Mu 1847, ibigabane bitatu vya mbere vy’igitabu c’Itanguriro vyarasohowe maze biba igisomwa ca mbere cacapuwe mu giswahili.

Krapf ni we yatanguye gukoresha inyandiko y’ikiromani aho gukoresha inyandiko y’icarabu yari isanzwe ikoreshwa mu kwandika igiswahili. Mu mvo yatanze zatumye areka gukoresha inyandiko y’icarabu ni uko “indome z’icarabu zogoye Abanyaburaya” bohavuye biga urwo rurimi be n’uko “inyandiko y’ikiromani yokworohereje ‘imvukira kwiga indimi  z’Abanyaburaya.’” Inyandiko y’icarabu yarabandanije gukoreshwa n’abantu bamwebamwe mu myaka itari mike; hariho ibice vya Bibiliya vyasohowe muri iyo nyandiko. Ariko rero, gukoresha inyandiko y’ikiromani vyaratumye vy’ukuri abantu benshi boroherwa no kwiga igiswahili. Nta gukeka yuko abamisiyonari benshi be n’abandi biga igiswahili bahimbarwa cane no kuba harabaye iryo hinduka.

Uretse ko Krapf yatanguje ivyo guhindura Ijambo ry’Imana mu giswahili, yaranashiriyeho umushinge abahinduzi bo hanyuma. Yarasohoye igitabu ca mbere c’indimburo y’igiswahili hamwe n’inyizamvugo y’urwo rurimi.

Igihe vya bigabane bitatu vya mbere vy’Itanguriro vyatangura gusohorwa, izina ry’Imana ryahinduwe gusa ngo “Imana Mushoboravyose.” Ariko rero, amaja mu mpera y’ikinjana ca 19, hari abandi bantu batari bake bashitse muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko babandanije igikorwa co guhindura Bibiliya yose uko yakabaye mu giswahili. Muri bo harimwo Johann Rebmann, William Taylor, Harry Binns, Edward Steere, Francis Hodgson na Arthur Madan.

Ikintu cari gihambaye muri zimwezimwe muri izo mpinduro zo mu ntango ni uko hashizwemwo izina ry’Imana, atari ahantu hakeyi gusa mugabo hose mu Vyanditswe vy’igiheburayo! Abahinduzi b’i Zanzibar, izina ry’Imana barihinduye ngo “Yahuwa,” mu gihe abari i Mombasa barihinduye ngo “Jehova.”

Mu 1895 Bibiliya yose uko yakabaye yaraboneka mu giswahili. Mu myaka mirongo yakurikiye, harabonetse izindi mpinduro zitari nke, naho zimwezimwe muri zo zitakwiragijwe cane. Mu myaka ya mbere y’ikinjana ca 20, haragizwe utwigoro twinshi two guhuza igiswahili co muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko. Ivyo vyatumye mu 1952 hasohorwa Bibiliya yitwa Swahili Union Version, ikaba ari yo yakwiragiye cane kuruta izindi. Ivyo vyatumye kandi “Yehova” riba ryo zina rihurizwako na benshi mu guhindura izina ry’Imana mu giswahili.

Ikibabaje ni uko igihe izo Bibiliya zo mu ntango zareka gucapurwa, izina ry’Imana ryajanye na zo. Bibiliya zimwezimwe za vuba zararikuyemwo buhere, mu gihe izindi zirigumiza ahantu hakeyi gusa. Nk’akarorero, muri Bibiliya yitwa Union Version izina ry’Imana riboneka incuro 15 gusa, mu mpinduro yayo yasubiwemwo mu 2006 na ho, rikaboneka incuro 11 gusa. *

Naho iyo Bibiliya ikura izina ry’Imana ahantu nka hose riboneka, irafise umuce uhambaye. Kuri rumwe mu mpapuro zayo zitangura handitseko mu buryo buboneka yuko izina ry’Imana ari Yehova. Ivyo vyarabaye ngirakamaro cane mu bijanye no gufasha abarondera ukuri kumenya izina ry’uruharo rya Data wa twese wo mw’ijuru bakoresheje Bibiliya zabo bwite.

Ariko rero, ntibigarukira aho. Mu 1996 Impinduro  y’isi nshasha y’Ivyanditswe vy’ikigiriki yarasohowe mu giswahili. Iyo ni yo yabaye impinduro ya mbere y’igiswahili yasubije izina rya Yehova ahantu 237 kuva muri Matayo gushika mu Vyahishuwe. Icakurikiye ni uko mu 2003 hasohowe Bibiliya yose mu giswahili yitwa Bibiliya y’isi nshasha. Gushika ubu, hamaze gucapurwa Bibiliya z’igiswahili zishika 900.000.

Izina ry’Imana ntirikinyegezwa mu gukoresha amazina amwamwe y’icubahiro canke mu kuriterera mu kajambo k’intangamarara. Ubu, abantu b’umutima nziraburyarya bararushiriza kwiyegereza Yehova igihe cose bazinguruye Bibiliya y’isi nshasha y’igiswahili bagasoma izina ryiwe aho ari ho hose mu ncuro zirenga 7.000 ribonekamwo.

Iyo Bibiliya yarihatiye kandi gukoresha igiswahili coroshe gutahura kandi ca none gishobora gukoreshwa n’abantu bose bo muri Afrika yo mu Buseruko bavuga igiswahili. Vyongeye, amakosa atari make yisobetse mu zindi Bibiliya nyinshi yarakosowe. Ivyo biratuma umusomyi ashobora kwizigira yuko ariko arasoma “amajambo y’ukuri atagira amakosa” nk’uko yahumetswe n’Umuremyi wacu Yehova Imana.​—Umusiguzi 12:10.

Abantu benshi barakengurutse iyo Bibiliya y’isi nshasha y’igiswahili. Uwitwa Vicent w’imyaka 21, akaba ari Icabona ca Yehova amara umwanya munini abwira abandi inkuru nziza, yavuze ati: “Naranezerewe cane kubera igiswahili coroshe kiri muri Bibiliya y’isi nshasha no kubera ko yasubije izina rya Yehova ahantu hose izindi zari zararikuye.” Frieda, akaba ari inabibondo w’abana batatu, abona yuko iyo Bibiliya yatumye birushiriza kumworohera gusigurira abantu ukuri kwo muri Bibiliya.

Igikorwa co guhindura Ijambo ry’Imana mu giswahiri camaze imyaka irenga 150 gihereye ku bigabane biri ku rushi. Yezu yavuze yuko ‘yahishuye izina rya Se.’ (Yohani 17:6) Ubu, Ivyabona vya Yehova barenga 76.000 bavuga igishwahili bo muri Afrika yo hagati n’iyo mu buseruko barahimbarwa no kumenyesha abantu bose izina rya Yehova bakoresheje iyo Bibiliya y’isi nshasha.