To identify, preserve, document, and make visible the stories, materials, artifacts, and personal journeys of the missionaries and Igbo communities whose efforts contributed to the development and translation of the Union Igbo Bible.
To build a world-class heritage institution that illuminates the relationship between Igbo tradition and Christianity, corrects historical misunderstandings, and becomes a center for learning, tourism, and cultural exchange.
The Igbo Bible Heritage Museum is an initiative of the Igbo Bible Heritage Foundation, created to inspire society and promote religious and cultural tourism. The museum celebrates the extraordinary interplay between Igbo culture and the traditions of early Christian missionaries and colonial administrators—a meeting of worlds that culminated in the translation of the English Bible into Union Igbo between 1906 and 1913 in Egbu, Owerri North, Imo State.
This museum exists to preserve the stories, artifacts, personalities, conflicts, and collaborations that shaped one of the most important milestones in Igbo linguistic and Christian heritage. It is a space where history is not allowed to fade into dust, but brought to life for learning, reflection, and inspiration.
Igbo language that could be read and understood across diverse dialects—from Ika in today’s Delta State, through the Igbo hinterlands, to communities in Rivers State and parts of Akwa Ibom.
This monumental work brought together:
The process involved intense dialogue, cultural negotiation, conferences, long journeys through forested hinterlands, and countless logistical challenges. It was a complex blend of language, belief systems, and social transformation.
The Heritage Museum project was conceived to document, preserve, and illuminate this chapter of history. By gathering historical materials, early manuscripts, cultural objects, and scholarly research, the museum opens a window into a pivotal moment when Igbo culture and Christianity shaped each other in profound ways.
Our objectives are anchored on four key pillars:
To design, develop, and equip a contemporary museum space dedicated to missionary and colonial history in Igboland.
To create a dynamic environment that supports rotating exhibitions, special programs, and community projects.
To encourage ongoing research, development, and documentation of the Igbo language—especially because Egbu is the birthplace of the earliest unified writing efforts.
To host courses, seminars, public lectures, symposia, and cultural workshops that foster continuous learning and academic engagement.
The Igbo Bible Heritage Museum is more than a physical space—it is a bridge across time.
It preserves the legacy of the first large-scale effort to unify Igbo language expression.
It deepens understanding of early missionary activity in the lower Niger area.
It sheds light on cultural practices once misunderstood or misrepresented.
It restores visibility to local voices, scholars, and early language pioneers.
It highlights the effort, sacrifice, and human stories behind the Union Igbo Bible.
For students, researchers, tourists, and the global community, the museum serves as a center of memory, learning, and inspiration.
The museum sits on the exact site where the English Bible was translated into Union Igbo, located on a dedicated one-hectare property in Egbu, Owerri North, Imo State.
Egbu is historically important:
For decades, scholars, tourists, evangelists, and international guests have visited the site to trace the roots of the Union Igbo Bible. The Heritage Museum aims to expand this legacy, strengthening the region’s role as a destination for religious and cultural tourism.
Discover the legacy of the translators, communities, and cultural visionaries who shaped the Union Igbo Bible. Journey through artifacts, manuscripts, and preserved archives that continue to illuminate the faith, identity, and heritage of the Igbo people.
The museum is a collaborative vision. We invite individuals, institutions, government bodies, cultural organisations, and the global Igbo community to join us in preserving this extraordinary heritage.
Together, we can protect the stories, artifacts, and memories that shaped the spiritual and linguistic identity of millions.
