Anufo in Togo

People Name:	Anufo
Country:	Togo
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	96,000
World Population:	246,000
Primary Language:	Anufo
Primary Religion:	Islam
Christian Adherents:	2.30 %
Evangelicals:	1.10 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Guinean
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Anufo trace their roots to an area in present-day Cote d'Ivoire which they call Anou or Ano. Hence, they refer to themselves and their language as Anufo, meaning "people of Anu." It appears that migrations in the early 1700s brought together Mande horsemen and their malams from the North and Akan peoples from the East.

Together with the indigenous Ndenyi people, they were amalgamated into one people with a mixed language and culture. In the mid 1700s, a small band of mercenaries left Anu to assist the chiefs of the Gonja and Mamprusi peoples in present day Ghana. The band consisted of Mande horsemen, Akan musket-toting foot soldiers, and some Muslim scholar amulet-makers. These groups provided the basis for a society divided into three classes or estates: nobles, commoners and Muslims.

Eventually, the small army established a camp on the shores of the Oti River where the town of Mango in Togo stands today. Since they were warriors and not farmers, they made their living by conducting raids into nearby farming communities. This provided them with wives and slaves as well as foodstuffs and livestock. Eventually the people settled in the surrounding farming communities where they assimilated with the local people.

The Anufo in Ghana currently inhabit an area of savannah grassland in the north-eastern part of Ghana.

What Are Their Lives Like?

The soil they farm is poor. Men and women work together for many tasks. They harvest together as a community. Markets in the area follow a six day cycle, and they provide social interaction as well as economic activity. People bring their local produce to sell in order to buy such things as soup ingredients (women) or bicycle parts (young men). It is a patrilineal society.

What Are Their Beliefs?

More than 75 per cent of this group are devoted to ethnic religions. Islam also has a firm grip on many of them. Fortunately, the church has seen some growth among the Anufo people, so there are believers among them. The good news is that in 2007, the Anufo New Testament became available in their language for the first time.

What Are Their Needs?

The Anufo people need better farming techniques and modern irrigation so they can enjoy a large yield of crops.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Lord to provide them with a huge harvest this year as a testimony of his mercy and love.
Pray for the Church to win, equip and send workers to the Anufo people in Togo.
Pray for a Holy Spirit-led hunger for righteousness and truth.
Pray this will be the decade when there is a massive movement to Christ among the Anufo people of Togo.