Benga in Equatorial Guinea

People Name:	Benga
Country:	Equatorial Guinea
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	6,100
World Population:	9,100
Primary Language:	Benga
Primary Religion:	Christianity
Christian Adherents:	90.00 %
Evangelicals:	0.90 %
Scripture:	Complete Bible
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	No
People Cluster:	Bantu, Northwest
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Benga people are a peaceful and friendly group of coastal fishermen, sailors and merchants. They are one of the 14 Ndowe people groups living along the coast of Equitorial Guinea (EG). Their traditional home is Corisco island and Elobey Grande and the mouth of the mighty Rio Muni estuary and the south coast of EG.

Corisco island is a beautiful tropical paradise, famous for its snow white sand.

Presbyterian missionaries from USA began work among the Benga in 1854. The New Testament was printed in 1893, followed by 18 books of the Old Testament between 1899 and 1902. Time and tropical humidity almost destroyed all existing copies. Revision and reprinting are desperately needed. The last missionary left Benga during WWII, in 1943, but the tiny Protestant church started by the missionaries still hangs on. For economic reasons the vast majority of the Benga left Corisco island.