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West Africa

By Jeff Hale and Marilyn Miller ⋅ January 1, 2007 ⋅

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by Jeff Hale and Marilyn Miller

As Senegal juts out into the Atlantic ocean at the Africa mainland’s westernmost point, it appears to be reaching for answers for a spiritually-needy continent. In its prominent position on the continent, Senegal has served as a hub for missions agencies that want to make a difference. Missionaries have dedicated their lives for decades to West Africa, seeking to bring the hope of Jesus Christ to those who have never heard.

Why, then, hasn’t the Gospel exploded across West Africa?

Approximately 300 years ago, Muslim missionaries traveled through North, Central, and West Africa. They began the process that would lead the Hausa (one of the largest people groups in the region) to become a major Islamic tribe. Muslim extremists are sweeping from the North to the South in an effort to make all of Africa Islamic.

The Hausa people follow centuries of tradition—farming, cattle raising, and trading. But their lives are not significantly better than centuries ago. Islam has failed them. Like other nomadic people across the African continent, they haven’t found true hope for their wandering spirit. That hope escapes millions among tribes throughout West Africa.

Vast regions of West Africa are known as difficult spiritual soil to till; its people have been resistant to change. But no major ministry has targeted Hausa speakers and provided Scriptures in their language. Most people simply haven’t had opportunity to understand the hope available to them through a relationship with Jesus Christ.

Today, Hausa evangelical believers stand at the threshold of the next big step in Western Africa’s unfolding missions story. They have lived through war, famine, and national crises with their fellow citizens. They have cultural knowledge, language, and evangelistic passion on their side; they are home. Hausa believers understand what outsiders cannot.

Who the Hausa are

The story of Western Africa can be seen through the lens of the Hausa tribe. Most dominant in Niger and northern Nigeria, Hausa people live in 27 countries and number 30 million. Hausa is a major trade language for much of Nigeria, Niger and beyond.

A long list of struggles blocks the path to a better future for the people of Niger. A landlocked, desert nation with few natural resources, 90 percent of Niger’s population barely survives. The average life expectancy is only 44 years old.

“Niger has been long neglected by the Western Church,” says World Christian Trends. “Over six million have never heard the Gospel message and fewer missionaries have gone to Niger than any other Sub-Saharan African country,” says Rev. Joseph Owens, the Bible League’s Vice President of Africa Ministries.

Niger’s neighbor to the south, Nigeria is a country in crisis. Poverty, disease, and a failing economy assail the hope of Nigerians. Intense conflict between Muslims and Christians has caused great instability in many areas for decades.

Millions of Hausa-speaking people, immersed in their Islamic identity, have no knowledge of any alternative.

Dominance of Islam

God’s Word can break through these obstacles to provide help and hope. The Muslim population in the region is staggering. Niger is 97.5 percent Muslim. Nigeria, the recipient of decades of missions efforts, is almost one-half Muslim.

“Our area is highly Islamic,” says a Christian with a Muslim background. “In the beginning, some were even afraid to touch the New Testament after hearing the Christian teachings. We now have at least three [Muslim background believers] who study the Bible faithfully. One woman gave her life to Jesus Christ. The people in her village persecute her so she will turn away from her faith, but she stands firm.”

While the numbers may seem to present a hopeless picture, God has made a way. The majority of Hausa people are Muslim, yet only about 30 percent practice it faithfully. The Truth can reach nominal Muslims, if only someone is there to share it.

State of the Church

A spark within the existing Church shows great potential as believers continue to gain momentum. Hausa believers in West Africa have a deep desire to reach the lost for Christ and ignite their faith. Church leaders believe in the power of the Word of God to address the whole human condition.

Hausa people who choose Christianity live in constant danger. Persecution of Christians continues. This story of one Muslim-background believer is an example of what thousands face when they become Christ-followers.

“His brothers and cousins followed him and found him staying with a pastor. They went to the police, accusing the pastor of kidnapping. The pastor was arrested and later released. This young man had to run away. If his family finds him, they will kidnap him. If he does not repent, they will kill him.”

Yet thousands of Hausa Christians believe it is worth the risk.

It is currently legal in Niger to teach religions other than Islam. But Muslim leadership is working hard toward the incorporation of Islamic (shari’a) law. Christ followers continue to share their faith because they do not know how long this door of opportunity will remain open.

In Nigeria, the conflict between Muslims and Christians rages on. Yet believers are presenting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and are seeing a response. “The North has shown incredible receptivity to the Word of God in spite of the smokescreen presented by Islam,” says Bible League’s Director of Nigeria Ministry.

Scriptures inaccessible

Imagine you are Muslim by birth. You don’t practice your religion, but like everyone else you claim to follow Islam. You live in deep poverty, not knowing where your next meal will come from. You’ve heard about a Christian bookstore in the big city, miles away. They have Bibles, and while you’ve never seen one, you know it offers something different. Even if you could get there, a Bible would cost you a week’s wages.

This scenario is common among the Hausa. When the Word of God has been unavailable in the heart language of people, there is often conflict throughout the society. People grasp for hope in beliefs that have no substance. A severe Scripture shortage—and a lack of adequate training in evangelism and discipleship—has hindered the mission of the Church.

Hausa churches are pleading for help. They want their members to grow in the Word and share their hope with Hausa friends and neighbors. A sampling of their requests:

“I am strongly of the view that the urgent need of my country is the Word of God in our language. Presently, the demand for the Hausa Bibles is very high. This is an indication of the spiritual hunger for the Word of God.” —Bishop Yusuf

“As a pastor of a local congregation in northern Nigeria where the Hausa language is widely spoken, it is my desire that the Bible would be sent to us in Hausa. It would be a great blessing if the local people who do not even understand the English language were taught the Word of God in their own language. I am pleading on behalf of my people to our Christian brethren who are in a position to help us by sending more Bibles, especially in the Hausa language. This will really help us to preach the Gospel in the remotest parts of Nigeria.” —Pastor Ibrahim

“The Hausa Bible is the life wire of the Gospel here in the North. It is very scarce. In the bookshops, they are very expensive. There is an urgent need for Bibles to make the work of reaching the people more easy for us to do.” —Pastor Ishaku

Provision of the Bible

Since it was first published in 1932, the Hausa Bible has been expensive and unavailable to the vast majority of Hausa. These days we talk more about “accessibility” of Scripture, attempting to describe how near the text is in any form of media. In the case of the Hausa, we have a Bible translation, completed 75 years ago, which is inaccessible in the villages, to the poor, to farmers, and herdsmen and women. Even in the churches and among the literate, few people will be found with a copy of the printed text.

In 2004, Bible League published a revised Hausa Bible. Available at a low cost, local churches use these Bibles to train their members to share Jesus with their friends and neighbors through Bible studies. Because the Hausa Bible is now more accessible to those who are quietly or secretly curious about Jesus, God’s Word is opening hearts throughout the Hausa people group.

The Hausa Bible sets the stage for training church planters who will take the Gospel to their own people and other unreached groups in West Africa. With Bibles and the development of strong Hausa leadership, we expect to see healthy Hausa churches planted that are growing at an exponential rate.

Growing God’s Church

Today, Hausa are reaching Hausa for God’s kingdom. The small, persevering Church is sharing the truth. This is an amazing development, and the Hausa Bible allows them to continue.

“Any word in one’s mother tongue touches one’s soul faster and deeper,” said the general secretary of one of Nigeria’s largest Christian denominations at the dedication of the Hausa Bible revision. “The Word reaches the grass roots folks faster and easier. There is always a sense of ownership and it becomes more personalized.” Reading God’s Word in their heart language for the first time, many can embrace Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

The potential for the Hausa to influence spiritual depth and numbers of the West African Church is great. New believers enthusiastically share Jesus with friends who also accept Him, and they in turn bring others to Christ—all in a matter of days!

This ripple effect of sharing and accepting Jesus can grow into a tidal wave of new believers. Hausa Christian leaders, who previously leaned on crusade evangelism in West Africa, now see the long-lasting power of a personal discipleship model that employs God’s Word to change lives.

Now is the time to share Christ’s love with those in West Africa. The Hausa are being trained in evangelism and discipleship using these long-awaited Hausa Scriptures. They know their message will not be welcomed by all, but they are willing to risk their lives to share this news.

God’s Church is growing beyond the spark. Struggles have created a hunger for truth and meaning, producing openness to the Gospel in some regions. By God’s grace, this openness will extend as individuals become enlightened by the Word, share it with others, and influence their communities.

The Bible League is partnering with new Hausa churches to provide Scriptures and training, preparing these Hausa Christians for greater opportunities and challenges that God will set before them. n

Jeff Hale is the Assistant Director of Africa Ministries for the Bible League. Marilyn Miller contributed to this story.