“Small in size - big in reputation” - Guinea-Bissau’s motto | Loving Muslims Through Prayer

“Small in size - big in reputation” - Guinea-Bissau’s motto

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45% Muslim

People take a pick and mix approach after upheaval in politics, military and religion.

“Bissau Free of Land Mines”, read the June 2006 headline. As you can imagine, tourism is not a major source of income. Once hailed as a potential model for African development, Guinea-Bissau is now one of the 10 poorest countries in the world. Fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy in 1998.

What the people do

There are about 1.4 million people in this West African nation. Only 5 percent of the people claim to be Christian, while 50 percent are adherents of various indigenous beliefs and 45 percent are Sunni Muslim. Most of the people work in farming and fishing. Because Guinea-Bissau was a colony of Portugal until 1973, the national language was formerly Portuguese, but Kriol is widely used and is now recognized as an official language in Guinea Bissau.

Inroads of Islam

The inroads of Islam have become very obvious in Guinea-Bissau recently. A Guinea-Bissau minister and president’s advisor for strategic affairs, Edmond Ivora, pronounced himself a Muslim publicly. The minister stressed that he was personally affected by the depth of belief of the leader of the Libyan Revolution, and his defense of the causes of Islam and Muslims across the world.

Missions in Guinea-Bissau

Missionaries in the last year have had Imams asking them for Bible teachers to come to their village! Pastors in Bissau have been taking Christian leadership seminars and are now seeing open doors to preach and teach. Hundreds of people showed up for the first showing of the Jesus film in Fula.

Points for Prayer for Guinea-Bissau:

* Pray for the Biafada, a major unreached people group - about 70% are Sunni Muslims. Some missions are working with them but they lack resources and vision.

* Pray for the Fulakunda of Guinea-Bissau who are virtually all Muslim. Although some Christian materials are available to them, less than 1% of the Fulakunda have become Christians. They are very devoted to Islam, probably because they were responsible in helping spread it throughout much of Africa. Fervent prayer is needed to break the stronghold Islam has on their lives.

* Pray for the Maninka who has adapted the doctrines of Islam to their own beliefs, resulting in a wide variety of sects.

* There are about 18 ethnic languages spoken in Guinea-Bissau, of which five now have some portion of the Scriptures. Pray for the ongoing work of translation of bible portions and the Jesus film. Since three quarters of the population cannot read, the Jesus film or like projects are very necessary.

* During times of civil war, Christians gained much respect by providing help and food and attempting to bring reconciliation between opposing sides. Pray that this ‘heritage’ would open doors for Christians to minister and share their faith.

Background on Guinea-Bissau (World Factbook)

Formerly the Portuguese colony of Portuguese Guinea, the name of its capital, Bissau, was added to the country’s official name in order to prevent confusion between itself and the Republic of Guinea.

When it was still a Portuguese colony, and a slave trader, the Catholic church was favored and other Christians were discriminated against. Since independence, there has been growing freedom for all religions - many people in Guinea-Bissau take a pick and mix approach, mixing up beliefs from Catholicism, Islam and African traditional religions. Nevertheless, missionaries from numerous Christian denominations have been active in Guinea-Bissau, and they operate in the country without restriction.

Economy of Guinea-Bissau

One of the 10 poorest countries in the world, Guinea-Bissau depends mainly on farming and fishing. Cashew crops have increased remarkably in recent years, and the country now ranks sixth in cashew production. Guinea-Bissau exports fish and seafood along with small amounts of peanuts, palm kernels, and timber. Rice is the major crop and staple food. However, intermittent fighting between Senegalese-backed government troops and a military junta destroyed much of the country’s infrastructure and caused widespread damage to the economy. However, offshore oil prospecting has begun and could lead to much-needed revenue in the long run. The inequality of income distribution is one of the most extreme in the world.

Statistics on Guinea-Bissau

Population: 1,503,182 (July 2008 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 47.52 years

Ethnic groups: African 99% (includes - Balanta 30%, Fula 20%, Manjaca 14%, Mandinga 13%, Papel 7%), European and mulatto less than 1%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Muslim 45%, Christian 5%

Languages: Portuguese (official), Crioulo, African languages

Literacy: 42.4%