Workshop Report · Bantè, Benin
Psalm Refresher Workshop
Incà Community, 2026
Overview
About This Workshop
The Scriptura Psalm Refresher Workshop brought together local church members, Bible translators, and community artists in Bantè, Benin for three days of collaborative psalm study and music composition. Organized by Scriptura in partnership with the IDAGBASSOKE Edé Incà Association, the workshop built directly on results from a previous arts workshop — deepening the community's ownership of scripture-based worship in their own language.
Participants reviewed the psalm-based creative framework, engaged in exegesis and internalization of selected psalms, and composed original worship songs drawing on traditional Incà musical rhythms. The event culminated in the recording of two new songs.
"He led the entire process directly in the Incà language in a wonderful way. I was surprised to see that the training document could be used without anyone's help." — Bio Athanase, Scriptura Field Coordinator
Workshop Proceedings
What Happened
A Milestone: The Local Trainer Model
One of the most significant achievements of this workshop was the successful deployment of a locally-led training approach. Hyppolite Chacassou, an exegete from the Incà Bible translation team, led the full exegesis and internalization sessions in the Incà language — independently, using a guide developed by combining Scriptura's ten-step framework with the TPNs (Thematic Psalm Notes).
This proved that Scriptura's resources are self-sufficient and transferable to local facilitators, a critical milestone for long-term sustainability. Building a network of local trainers means communities can continue producing scripture-based worship independently, with less reliance on external coordinators.
Photos from the Workshop
Impact
Results
- 📖Psalms 23 and 121 fully translated into the Incà language and internalized by participants
- 🎵Two original worship songs composed in traditional Incà rhythms — akoto (Psalm 23) and àcɔkì/Atshoki (Psalm 121)
- 🎙️Both compositions recorded, ready for use in Incà church services
- 🌱Local trainer model piloted successfully — Hyppolite Chacassou led sessions independently in the Incà language
- ⛪Participants drawn from local churches reinforced their engagement with psalm-based community worship
Key Findings
Recommendations
Opt for focused workshops of no more than one week with a lean budget, centering on a small number of psalms for deeper engagement.
Invest in training local trainers in partnership with community associations, building on the successful Hyppolite Chacassou model.
Schedule periodic field visits by the Scriptura coordinator to encourage communities and maintain momentum between workshops.
