The Yao peoples of Tanzania

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to our RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!

Yao Population: 500,000

There are 1 million in Malawi and 450,000 in Mozambique.

About the Yao

The Yao of Tanzania live in the south, along the border of Mozambique. They are mainly peasants who raise animals, have small businesses, and live in clans. Their chiefs are Mataka, Kanduru, and Mtalika. Traditions are passed on during initiation ceremonies. Women receive sexual instruction before marriage and initiation rites at the beginning of their first pregnancy.

Islam among the Yao

Yao, TanzaniaAround 1800, Arabs started slave trading in the Yao region. The Yao captured people from neighboring tribes and sold them to the Arabs. Through the slave trade, the Yao started to practice Islam; currently, about 95% of the Yao of Tanzania are Muslims. Islam has become a central part of Yao culture; when a Yao turns his back on Islam, he cuts himself off from his tribe and clan. He is completely abandoned, will not be given any help, and will be threatened in many ways to make him return to his original Islamic faith.

Christianity was Hated in Tanzania

The abolition of the slave trade in Tanzania in 1873 did not please the Yao and resulted in negative relations with their colonial rulers. Christianity, as the religion of the colonial rulers, was hated, despite the introduction of medical care and education by Christian missionaries. The Yao did not allow their children to attend the schools, fearing that they would start eating pork or become Christians, who were considered to be uncivilized. After many years this situation changed, and today relations are much better. Muslims may meet with Christians for events such as burials or weddings.

Churches among the Yao

Anglicans and Catholics first spread the gospel among the Yao. Today, there are several evangelical and Pentecostal churches, many of which were established by the witness of missionaries and local Christian tradesmen. These churches spread the gospel through open-air meetings, personal witnessing, and Christian radio ministry in the Yao language. Some Yao are now pastors and Christian workers in Tanzania.

Pray for the Yao peoples of Tanzania:

* Some Yao men are especially lazy; some are unfaithful to their wives. Pray that Yao men will take a godlier role in their families and society.

* The Yao do not consider schooling to be essential. Pray for a change in worldview about education among the Yao.

* The sexual instruction given during initiation rites and television often lead to poor ethics and promiscuity. Pray for a change that leads to a more moral lifestyle among Yao youth.

* New believers often find it hard to have their basic needs met, encouraging them to return to Islam. Pray that the young Yao churches will develop a greater ability to work together and help believers.

* Christian radio service is limited in time and frequency. Pray for more workers and financial support, so that the ministry can be more extensive and bring listeners to Christ.

Background on Tanzania (World Factbook)

Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar’s semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite international observers’ claims of voting irregularities.

Economy of Tanzania

Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area.

Statistics on Tanzania

Population: 40,213,162 (July 2007 est.) — see note below

Life Expectancy at Birth: 51.45

Ethnic groups: mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African

Religions: mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%; Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages

Literacy: 69.4% male: 77.5% female: 62.2%

Population Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected.