The Maninka (pronounced MAN- ika) people once formed part of the great Mandingo Empire, which dominated Western Africa centuries before Europeans set foot in North America.
Converted to Islam by evangelists from Mecca, they practice a folk version of that faith, mixing traditional animist beliefs with Mohammed's teachings.
The Maninka have a strong sense of the spirit world
around them. Many live in fear, using fetishes such as animal feet to
ward off evil or bring revenge on their enemies. Maninka fetishes are
considered so powerful that they are highly prized in the region.
Most
people work on the land, struggling to provide for their families in
one of the world’s poorest countries. They usually live in round,
thatch-roof mud huts without electricity or running water.
Missionaries have worked among the Maninka for almost a hundred years but have yet to see a spiritual breakthrough. The small Maninka church faces huge pressures from the culture and has gone through severe trials in recent years.
- Population 2,632,000
- Religion 96% Muslim; 3.98% animist
- Bible Parts of the written OT and NT
(only 15% are literate, so need NT recordings)
Let's ask the Lord of the harvest to
- Break through the spiritual chains that keep the Maninka bound by fear and superstition
- Reveal Jesus to key individuals in the community through dreams and visions, a powerful means of drawing Muslims to Christ
- Empower His church in Guinea to witness boldly to their Maninka neighbors
