Where the Teda peoples Live

Most of the 30,000 Teda people live in the remote and isolated area of the Tibesti mountains, located in north-western Chad, north-eastern Niger and southern Libya. This area is surrounded by miles of the arid Saharan Sea of sand dunes and rocks. There are no paved roads into this area, but desert routes, which take days to negotiate depending on the weather conditions. Some have migrated for employment or education to live in centres such as Ndjamena, the capital of Chad; Sebha, a desert town in Libya; and around Bilma in Niger.

Map of Chad

To be Teda is to be Muslim

In recent years the Teda have played a key role in Chadian politics, in the 1960s spearheading a rebel coalition of northern Muslims, which contributed to a civil unrest which has lasted on and off for 30 years.

The Teda are thought to be one of the last groups to be Islamicised in the Sahara. Recently they have been influenced by those returning from other lands encouraging a more stringent practise of Islam. Some of the Teda follow a few of the practises of more ancient religious beliefs, which involve the appeasement and worship of mountain spirits. Many are reticent to travel anywhere alone in hours of darkness because of the fear of demons.

For the Teda, to be Teda is to be Muslim, and to consider being anything else, difficult to imagine or accept. Rejection from family and persecution will affect those who accept Christ. The Teda are an unreached people group and need to hear the word of God.

Prayer Guide for the Teda peoples

* Pray that the unreached Teda people in this remote part of the earth, will hear, see and receive His salvation. (Psalm 98:3: Isaiah 52:10)

* Pray that the bondage to the spirit world would be broken, and that the Teda would know in their inheritance in Christ. (Psalm 72:9a; Isaiah 43:19-21, Romans 8:38,39)

* Pray that whole families will come to Christ, that fear will not hold people back from choosing to follow Jesus.

* Pray that a Teda expression in the body of Christ will come into being. Pray for God's sovereign protection to be upon those who come to Christ.

Video: The Sahara

Sahara Wonderland from zoomion on Vimeo.

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Zealous Muslims among the Fulani

The Fulani have followed Islam for seven centuries, and helped to spread Islam across much of West Africa. They became zealous Muslims, and from 1750 to 1900 engaged in many holy wars in the name of Islam. During the first part of the 19th century the Fulani carved out two important empires based in Massina (Mali) and in Sokoto (Nigeria). Among educated Fulani, there are many noted Islamic scholars and teachers. While the urbanized and more affluent Fulani are generally the most orthodox in their beliefs, the great majority of the Fulani mix superstition and animistic beliefs with Islam.

The Fulani have a long history as cattle herdsmen. To be a Fulani meant to be a cattle owner. The more cattle a man owns, the more respect he is given. However, due to increasing hardships including famine, drought and poverty, some Fulani no longer own cattle. Even so a majority still own at least a small number of animals, whether a cherished cow, sheep or goats. Often, those that do not own animals will work as herdsmen for others.

Persecution among the Fulani

The Wodaabe Fulani (pop: 180,000) of Eastern Niger are among the pure nomadic herders. They seek to find pasture for their herds just south of the Sahara Desert. Some are being forced to find other means of support. However, for most Wodaabe to farm is a rejection of their heritage. The Jelgooji of Eastern Burkina Faso have also clung to the tradition of herding more tenaciously than many other groups, yet they tend to be more semi-nomadic.

In some areas, Fulani who have become Christians have experienced no negative repercussions from family or community members. More often though, decisions to follow Christ have been met with harsh persecution. There are currently no more than a few thousand Fulani Christians - much less than 1% of the total population. Less than 10% of the Fulani have heard the Gospel.

Prayer Guide for the Fulani

* Most Fulani simply need to hear the Gospel in a fashion which is culturally sensitive, relevant and understandable.

* Pray for missionary Bible story telling efforts to this largely illiterate people. Story telling is an art. Missionaries need inspiration, linguistic ability and perseverance to be effective in proclaiming the Gospel in this manner.

* Pray for the various humanitarian and development efforts taking place among the Fulani.

* May the Lord raise up Fulani disciples who can take the Gospel to their own people. They will need faith, perseverance, hope and real love to make this happen (1 Corinthians 13:13, Romans 15:4).

Special Note

God is really answering prayers as we Fulanis have been taking the Gospel to our people and we are seeing fruits to the glory of God. Fulani Ministries' work: www.fulaniministries.org is an example of Fulanis responding to God's grace in sharing the Gospel to other Fulanis in sub-Saharan Africa. Remain blessed. Romans 10:12-15

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Social classes of the Gorane

There are social differences among the Gorane. Historically, the Teda are considered to be the highest social class, followed by the Daza. The Azza are the traditionally lowest class of craftsmen, with whom in the past a Teda or Daza could not have sat down to drink tea. In the towns and among the more educated Gorane, however, this custom is changing more and more. The Kamadjas, the class of slaves, is despised by all: ethnically this group doesn't belong to the Gorane, but they share their language and culture.

The Gorane who live in rural areas only have superficial knowledge about Islam. Since many don't speak Arabic, they don't understand the meaning of the daily obligatory prayers. Even the religious teachers (the marabouts) who teach Islam often don't speak Arabic. Urban areas, however, have seen a fast-growing religious extremism in recent years, enforcing the strict observation of the five pillars of Islam. More and more Gorane go abroad (for instance, to Saudi Arabia) to study the Qur'an.

Yearning for forgiveness by the Gorane

Billi, a young Teda, went to Egypt in the early 1990s to deepen his knowledge of Islam. During his studies, he learned that the Qur'an was preceded by the revelations of the Torah, the Psalms and the Gospels, and that Muslims should also read those scriptures. When he asked why this was not done, Billi did not receive a satisfactory answer. As a child, he was taught that the hand that touches the book of the Christians would burn in hell. But, after a long search and despite all the "warnings", Billi held a Bible in his hand. He concluded that the Truth must be found in the Bible. He was baptised in September 2001. Since then, he has been a faithful member of a small Gorane house church.

Many Gorane feel a great yearning for God's blessing and forgiveness. Christian witness only reached them in the mid-1990s. Currently, there are a handful of Christians dispersed over the whole Gorane region; there is also a small, fragile house church which meets regularly. Some Christian tapes and two films are available. The translation of the Bible has not yet begun, but a linguist is in the process of learning the Gorane language.

Prayer for Syria:

* Praise the Lord for the small house church. Pray for growth in numbers and spiritually, and for Gorane elders to develop and mature. Until now, the leadership is in the hands of a missionary.

* Pray for fearless proclamation of the gospel, widespread distribution and presentation of tapes and films, and supernatural revelations of Jesus, so that the Gorane can hear the gospel.

* Pray specifically for the salvation of many Gorane women.

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Remoteness

Because many Tuareg are nomadic, it is impossible to know their exact population across the vastness of the Sahara - many different population estimates exist for the Tuareg. This is owing in part to their opposition to being counted as well as their desire to remain in remote areas. Estimates range from 1 to 3 million Tuareg spread throughout parts of Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania, Algeria, Libya and Nigeria.

The Tuareg speak a language derived from that of the North African Berbers and trace their ancestry back to a region of the Atlas Mountains. Their language is Tamasheq (Tamashek, Tamajaq or Tamahaq), of which there are a number of different dialects. Most Tuareg also speak another African language, depending on the region where they live. Many also know a written alphabet in an ancient Libyan script called Tifinagh or Shifinah.

A majority of researchers believe that the Tuareg were once Christian. Evidence for this includes the traditional names still common among them. Their jewellery and decorations retain symbols that resemble objects of Christian origin. It is unknown when the Tuareg took up Islam, but today it exerts a strong influence on them.

The pressure of change in the past few decades has taken away their perceived freedom. May they find the real freedom that is only available through the true Lord of the desert, Jesus.

Prayer Guide for the Tuaregs of the Sahara:

* New Tuareg believers often face rejection from their family and community. It is assumed that someone who has rejected Islam brings shame on the family. This is especially difficult in an environment where family help and protection are indispensable (Mark 10:29-31). Pray for strength, courage and protection for new Tuareg believers.

* There are few Christians and fewer churches among this people group. New believers need discipleship and encouragement, which is difficult to achieve in a hostile environment. Pray that as Tuareg become believers, they will also be discipled properly into a strong and vibrant faith.

* Although economic changes have brought some of the Tuareg closer to urban areas, their remoteness and dispersion is still a major obstacle to reaching them. Pray for God-inspired strategies to reach the dispersed Tuareg.

* Until there is a significant number of Tuareg believers to carry on the task, cross-cultural workers will need to be a living witness to this people. Many times the "beautiful feet" will be a little dirty in the hot and dusty Sahara (Rom 10:14-15). Pray for the workers among the Tuareg - and pray for more of them.

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| · 936,269,259 million people or about 14% of the world's population live in 61 countries and territories throughout Africa.

Pray with us for these African countries. Muslims represent 41.3% of the population in Africa, growing at a rate of 2.5% per year (mainly as a result of having large families). Islam first spread from the Middle East to North Africa and then eventually towards the south. Islam is predominantly concentrated in North and Northeast Africa. For example, out of the 78 million people in the three nations of Northwest Africa (Algeria, Tunisia and Morocco), possibly only 50,000 are native believers in the Messiah. On our site you will see we have broken Africa down by region, Central (about 15 percent Muslim), East (about 29 percent Muslim), North (probably 89% Muslim), Southern (between 1 and 2 percent Muslim) and West Africa (about 54 percent Muslim).

Although we hear of many miracles and wonderful things happening in Africa there is also great persecution among many African Christians. As gulf-oil dollars help spread Islam we hear of many believers who become secret believers. Families often disown members who turn to the Messiah, confiscating their possessions. In some cases there are brutal beatings and even deaths as the type of Islam coming into Africa gets more dogmatic and controlling.

You can also search our site for Muslim People Groups such as: Beja, Dioula, Fulani, Gorane, Gypsies, Harar, Juba Arabs, Kabyle, Lebou, Maba, Myab, Nubian, Saharawi, Saho, Songhai, Soninke, Souss Berbers, Teda, Toucouleur, Tuaregs, Tuareg in Sahara, Worodougou, Yao and so forth.

External Links and Sources:

• Mapping the Global Muslim Population (Pew Research Forum)
• World Fact Book (CIA)
• Muslim Population Worldwide
• The Largest Muslim Communities
• Global Status of Evangelical Christianity Unengaged Unreached People Groups
• Unreached Ethnic People Group Listings (Joshua Project)
• and Wikipedia has several good links, maps and resources + World Religions: Britannica Book of the Year, ©2003

To Download:

• Global Status of Evangelical Christianity Unengaged Unreached Muslim People Groups 100,000 or more (xls file saved via MS Excel, 380 kb)
• 2010 World Muslim Population compiled by Houssain Kettani at the Hawaii International Conference on Arts and Humanities. 61 pages of interesting statistics on Muslim countries and the demographics of Muslim growth. (pdf, 788 kb)

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