Afar in Djibouti


Population
Main Language
Largest Religion
Christian
Evangelical
Progress
Progress Gauge

Introduction / History

The Danakil prefer to be known as the Afar, since the Arabic word danakil is an offensive term to them. The Afar consist of two sub-groups: the Asaemara ("red ones"), who are the more prestigious and powerful nobles living along the coast; and the Adaemara ("white ones"), who are the commoners living primarily in the mountains and the desert. The Afar (Danakil) claim to be descendants of Ham, Noah's son. They are located in the East African countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea. The Afar of Djibouti live either along the coastline bordering Ethiopia, or in a portion of the Danakil Desert that stretches across Ethiopia into Eritrea.


What Are Their Lives Like?

The Afar are a proud people, valuing a man's strength and bravery. Prestige comes from killing one's enemies. There was an article about them in 2006 with the headline, "The Afar: The toughest people on earth?" There is good reason for that. Djibouti is sometimes called "a valley of hell" because it has one of the hottest, driest climates in the world. The Afar homeland is where three seismic plates meet. There will probably come a day when the land shifts and this place is dropped into the sea, people livestock and all. As if that weren't enough misery, the Afar people have regular conflicts with other tribes. These conflicts are usually about scarce water and land rights. There are many blood feuds which cause conflicts to continue generation after generation; a situation these nomads do not need. The Afar have age-sets where a chief settles their conflicts. They also have legal procedures to settle matters such as adultery by fining the perpetrator. Most of the Afar are livestock herders who own goats and camels and occasionally cattle. A smaller number of them either mine salt or fish for a living.


The Afar (or Danakil) claim to be descendants of Noah's son Ham. They live in the East African countries of Djibouti, Ethiopia and Eritrea.
What Are Their Beliefs?

Most Afars consider the Arabs their ancestors; therefore, Islam has had a tremendous influence on Afar culture. They practice Sunni Islam and honor their Sky God. The Afar also worship sacred trees, a belief that predates their conversion to Islam. They believe the spirits of the dead are very powerful, and they celebrate a "feast of the dead" called Rabena, each year. They also give annual offerings to the sea to ensure safety for their villages. Many people wear protective leather amulets that contain herbs and verses from the Koran.


What Are Their Needs?

One of the most serious problems in Djibouti is drought. This poses a threat to anyone who is raising livestock or trying to grow crops. It is becoming increasingly difficult to do either of these things as water becomes increasingly scarce. There has been a lot of fighting in their region, and this situation is unlikely to stop. Often nomadic peoples get shoved aside when there is armed conflict. The few Afar who follow Christ are isolated. They are usually pressured by their relatives to return to Islam. They need the Holy Spirit's strength to hold onto their faith in Christ.


Prayer Points

Pray for the Holy Spirit to draw Afar leaders to the Throne of Grace so they will open the door to a movement to Christ. Pray for spiritual discernment and a hunger for truth among the Afar people in all three countries where they live. Pray for Christs followers with medical skills to go to the Afar people and help them with their medical needs. Pray for the Lord to bless the Afar people with the abundant rain they need for their livestock as a demonstration of his power and goodness.


Scripture Prayers for the Afar in Djibouti.


Profile Source:   Joshua Project  

People Name General Afar
People Name in Country Afar
Pronunciation AH-far
Alternate Names Adali; Danakil
Population this Country 334,000
Population all Countries 2,785,000
Total Countries 3
Indigenous Yes
Progress Scale 1
Unreached Yes
Frontier People Group Yes
GSEC 1  (per PeopleGroups.org)
Pioneer Workers Needed 7
People ID 11486
ROP3 Code 102419
ROP25 Code 300064
ROP25 Name Afar
Country Djibouti
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Red Sea coast, Obock, Tadjoura, and Dikhil regions; Arta Region, area southwest of Ghoubet Kharab; Ali Sabieh Region southwest of regional capital.   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Country Djibouti
Region Africa, East and Southern
Continent Africa
10/40 Window Yes
Persecution Rank Not ranked
Location in Country Red Sea coast, Obock, Tadjoura, and Dikhil regions; Arta Region, area southwest of Ghoubet Kharab; Ali Sabieh Region southwest of regional capital..   Source:  Ethnologue 2016
Map of Afar in Djibouti Ethnolinguistic map or other map

Primary Religion: Islam
Major Religion Percent
Buddhism
0.00 %
Christianity  (Evangelical 0.01 %)
0.03 %
Ethnic Religions
0.00 %
Hinduism
0.00 %
Islam
99.95 %
Non-Religious
0.00 %
Other / Small
0.00 %
Unknown
0.00 %
Primary Language Afar (334,000 speakers)
Language Code aar   Ethnologue Listing
Language Written Yes   ScriptSource Listing
Total Languages 1
Primary Language Afar (334,000 speakers)
Language Code aar   Ethnologue Listing
Total Languages 1
People Groups Speaking Afar

Primary Language:  Afar

Bible Translation Status  (Years)
Bible-Portions Yes  (1975-1986)
Bible-New Testament Yes  (1994)
Bible-Complete Yes  (2013-2023)
FCBH NT (www.bible.is) Online
YouVersion NT (www.bible.com) Online
Possible Print Bibles
Amazon
World Bibles
Forum Bible Agencies
National Bible Societies
World Bible Finder
Virtual Storehouse
Resource Type Resource Name Source
Audio Recordings Audio Bible teaching Global Recordings Network
Audio Recordings Story of Jesus audio Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Jesus Film: view in Afar Jesus Film Project
Film / Video Magdalena video Jesus Film Project
Film / Video World Christian Videos World Christian Videos
General Bible for Children Bible for Children
General Faith Comes By Hearing - Bible in text or audio or video Faith Comes by Hearing
General Gospel resources links Scripture Earth
General YouVersion Bible versions in text and/or audio YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App Android Bible app: Afar YouVersion Bibles
Mobile App iOS Bible app: Afar YouVersion Bibles
Photo Source manothegreek 
Map Source People Group location: IMB. Map geography: ESRI / GMI. Map design: Joshua Project.  
Profile Source Joshua Project 
Data Sources Data is compiled from various sources. Learn more.



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