- POPULATION: 460,000 in Kenya; 276,000 in Tanzania
- LANGUAGE: Chidigo
- RELIGIOUS BACKGROUND: Islam
- PROGRESS: 0.1% Christian (0.05% Evangelical) in Kenya; 0.5% Christian (0.4% Evangelical) in Tanzania
- BIBLE TRANSLATION: Complete
The Digo practice folk Islam, which combines traditional practices of animism and ancestor worship with Islam; village witchdoctors perform blood sacrifices for the exorcism of evil spirits. During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Digo experienced a time of great famine. It became a common practice for them to give either themselves or their children as kore, or “blood money,” to serve as temporary collateral for a loan of food. Sadly, there were many times when the debt could not be redeemed, thus leaving them to live as slaves. Many of the Digo who were brought to Mombasa as slaves later obtained their freedom by converting to Islam.
Prayer Request:
Praise God for a complete Bible translation! Pray that Digo movements to Christ would grow.
