Nomande, Mandi in Cameroon

People Name:	Nomande, Mandi
Country:	Cameroon
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	20,000
World Population:	20,000
Primary Language:	Nomaande
Primary Religion:	Christianity
Christian Adherents:	69.00 %
Evangelicals:	6.00 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Ministry Resources:	Yes
Jesus Film:	No
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Bantu, Northwest
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

The Lemande people inhabit a hilly area in the central province of Cameroon, just west of the town of Bokito. Here, within this forest-savannah region, the Lemande traditionally have been subsistence farmers and hunters. Today, subsistence farming is mainly the responsibility of the women, while the men handle cash crops like cocoa and coffee. Christianity was introduced to this region in the 1930s with the arrival of Catholic missionaries. The paramount chief who had originally invited Christianity into the region eventually converted to Islam since he was informed by the missionaries that he could only keep one of his many wives.

Today, while there remain a small percentage of Muslims in the area and the majority of Lemande profess to be Christian, traditional beliefs are still very much a part of their spiritual lives. SIL began to work with the Lemande in 1981 with the purpose of providing Scripture in the language of the people, Nomaande. With the very low literacy rate and lack of spiritual discipleship, there is much need for prayer support if the Word of God is ever to take root among the Lemande. The New Testament has been available since 2008.