Bekworra, Yakoro in Nigeria

Introduction / History

The Bekwarra nation is in the Cross River State, Nigeria Bekwarra is presently one of the 774 Local Government Areas in Nigeria being the third-tier of the administrative structures in Nigeria. It is bounded in the north by Benue State. It has Ogoja on its southern axis; Obudu and Yala on the east and western ends. Bekwarra has one language with a slight variation by the Afrike communities. The Bekwarra language is one the few languages used in Cross River State news broadcast.

What Are Their Lives Like?

Farming is their major occupation. The major crops are cassava, yams, groundnuts and palm oil. They sell their produce in local markets. People from other states buy this produce.

Education has improved significantly. Although there are more than 648 primary schools and 145 upper grade schools in the state, literacy among the Bekwarra people is low. Almost every community now has a secondary school owned by the government or by private individuals. Illiteracy has been reduced radically in the 21st century, but they still need progress in this area.

Bekwarra people are industrious, intelligent and adventurous. They engage in all types of business, farming, trading and other industrial activities. They are involved with law, medicine and engineering. Some of these professionals have migrated to Europe and North America with their skills.

What Are Their Beliefs?

The Catholic Church, Anglican Church, Assemblies of God and other Protestant groups have a long history in the Bekwarra community. However, many church-goers still practice African traditional religion, which reveres ancestors and offers sacrifices to spirits. Many are nominal Christians because they don't understand what the Bible teaches.

While the New Testament was translated in 1983, it is not used well. Work is underway to translate the whole Bible. Having the whole Bible will provide them with a foundation for the teachings of Christ, the cultural examples used and many of the unexplained and little understood references and activities in the New Testament—such as references to "the Law", "the priests", "the prophets". Villagers and translators alike are excited that within the communities, literacy efforts have already begun. The team anticipates expansion of this program, in cooperation with government educational authorities.

What Are Their Needs?

There are efforts to produce reading materials in the Bekwarra language for primary and secondary schools. This is in addition to the on-going efforts to translate the full Bible into Bekwarra language. These efforts will not only make robust the Bekwarra lexicon, it will encourage young people to be more versatile in their use of language.

These villagers have very limited access to adequate health care facilities.

Prayer Points

Pray for the Bible to be embraced and understood among Bekwarra family leaders.
Pray for the Bekwarra Church to be salt and light to their neighbors, drawing many to the only savior, Jesus Christ.
Pray for the Lord to bless their crops as a testimony of God’s power and goodness.

Text Source:   Joshua Project