To engage deeply with any story, people need to hear it in the language that feels most natural to them – and there is no story more important than the story of Jesus.
This conviction has prompted GLO, together with our partner Heritage TV, to translate, dub and broadcast The Chosen in Kirundi, in partnership with the nonprofit foundation, Come and See.
The Chosen: a global phenomenon
The Chosen is the first multi-season television series based on the life of Jesus, created by filmmaker Dallas Jenkins. Since its launch, it has captivated audiences around the world by drawing viewers into the lives of the disciples and the people Jesus encountered.
More than 300 million people have watched The Chosen, demonstrating that storytelling about Jesus can reach far beyond church walls. The Come and See Foundation, which supports the production, translation, and global distribution of the series, has a vision to introduce Jesus to more than a billion people in their own language.
In Burundi, the Come and See is funding GLO and Heritage TV to translate and dub the series into Kirundi. Translation by a local theologian has now been completed, and Burundian actors have begun dubbing Season One.
Who will see the show?
The vision for the project is ambitious. The Chosen will be broadcast on television later this year, while clips and full episodes will also be made freely available to GLO partner organisations and churches across Burundi to support evangelism, discipleship, and engagement with Scripture.
- Many of GLO’s partner organisations will visit rural communities and churches with generators, screens and projectors, enabling people to watch the series together as part of evangelism and discipleship initiatives.
- UGBB, which works in universities, plans to hold watch parties in student halls.
- Prison ministries such as Restoration Burundi hope to show the series within prisons
- Youth and Children’s Organisations like Scripture Union are considering using clips in schools as part of Bible studies.
- Organisations like Harvest Initiatives and UCCD may use the show in evangelistic and discipleship events.
Our hope is that The Chosen will become a freely available resource for Christian leaders across Burundi — supporting evangelism, discipleship and engagement with Scripture.
What would a dubbed version look like? Get a taster with this clip in Swahili:
A partnership for the Kingdom
This project brings together organisations with complementary strengths to serve Burundi, a nation with a rich heritage of drama, storytelling and poetry, where spoken and visual communication are often more accessible than reading.
The Come and See Foundation provides financial support and technical expertise. GLO connects the project to local churches and ministry partners, while Heritage TV brings creative talent and cultural understanding.
Please pray
- Pray for Heritage TV, the actors and the translators as they work to communicate the story of Jesus and the disciples faithfully and clearly.
- Pray that The Chosen would encourage peace and reconciliation as communities gather to watch the life of Christ together.
- Pray that hearts would be opened to Jesus as people hear his story in the language they speak and think in daily life, hearts would be opened to him.
- Pray that many people would be drawn to read the Scriptures for themselves.
If you’d like to know more about Come and See Foundation’s work, please visit comeandseefoundation.org.
