Facts about The Gambia
Capital: Banjul
Population: 2,686,937
Official Language: English
Most widely spoken local languages: Mandinka, Wolof and Fula
Other Languages: 15
Christian: 9 %
Evangelical: 0.8 %
Largest Religion: Islam 87.5 %
Tribes in the Gambia
Mandinka
Mandinka are the largest ethnic group in Gambia, make up 42% of the population.They are sometimes referred to as the Mandingo, Malinke or Mande.
Locations / Population
Gambia: 700,568 (42.4%) Mali: 1,772,102 (8.8%) Guinea-Bissau: 212,269 (14.7%) Guinea: 3,786,101 (29.4% Senegal 900,617 (5.6%) Sierra Leone 160,080 (2.3%) Liberia 166,849 (3.2%) Guinea-Bissau 212,269 (14.7%) Ghana 647,458 (2%)
Most people of Mandinka practice Islam and rely on Marabout ( local herbalist) for protection. In most cases, no important decision is made without first consulting a marabout. Marabouts, who have Islamic training, write Qur’anic verses on slips of paper and sew them into leather pouches, these are worn as protective amulets.
Fula
Fula are the second largest ethnic group in the Gambia. They are friendly and hospitability
Wolof
Wolof, also spelled Ouolof, make up 16% of Gambia population and are the third largest ethnic group. Wolof are the major ethnic group in Senegal. They are about 43.3% in Senegal population and 8% in Mauritania population.
Majority of Wolof are Sunni Muslim. The remaining 10% are Roman Catholic and less than 1% are Protestant.
Islam and Wolof identity are closely intertwined. Islamic jihads and resistance to the French colonial powers solidified the Wolof people’s commitment to Islam. Marabout leaders (local herbalist) and Quranic teachers are honored and followed unquestioningly by many Wolof today.
Wolof also believe in bad and good spirits as well as witches. They think that all of these live in their villages. Evil spirits live in tall trees or grassy areas. Just like Mandiakas, Wolof wear amulets to protect themselves from these evil spirits.
Soninke
Soninke also known as Sarahule are the fífth-largest ethnic group in The Gambia, make up 9% of the population and 9.8% Mali
They form minority ethic groups in other West African countries such as Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Guinea Bissau and Senegal. Among all the Soninke in The Gambia, there are only few known Christians.
Manjago
Manjago, also known as Mandya are an ethnic group in Guinea-Bissau. Many are now living in the Gambia and Senegal.
Majority of Manjago practice two major religions with the majority engaging in Traditional religion or Christianity and a small minority following Islam.
Jola
The Jola or Diola are an ethnic group found in Senegal, the Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. They make up 10% of the Gambian population.
Jola are among one of the oldest existing tribes in The Gambia. They along with other groups like the Balanta and Pepel were already in the Casamance region of Senegal in the 13th century before moving northwards to Foni.
They practice mixture of animist / Islam. We have handful of believers among them.
Karoninka
The Karoninka people (also called Karone) are an ethnic group related to the Jola. They live mainly in Casamance Senegal and also in The Gambia.
Aku
Akus (also known as Krios/Creole) are minority ethnic group of Gambia with connections to and roots from the Sierra Leone Creole people. They comprise 2% of the Gambian population, are primarily Christian and speak Aku (Krio), a language similar to Pidgin English.
A very small number of Krios are Muslims–mostly women who marry with other local tribesmen who are Muslims.
Kunante
Kunante also known as Mansuwanka reside primarily in Guinea-Bissau but a smaller number of them live in Gambia. Their main religion is Islam with handful Christian among them..
Other tribes in the Gambia
There are other small tribes (Mankaan, Papel, Susu, Lebanese, Balanta, Jalunke etc.) that do not appear on the official list.
Each ethnic group has its own traditions, language, and background. The people of The Gambia share many cultural patterns due to historical connections, the small size of the country, generations of intermarriages and the unifying force of Islam.
Gambians also share much of their cultural heritage with the people of Senegal and have cultural ties to the peoples of Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sierra Leone and Mali. Despite the dominance of Islam, God has been at work. Christians have more religious freedom here than in most Muslim countries.
Hinterland of the Gambia
Most Christian work has been in the Greater Banjul area (coast). There are many inland villages and towns where there has been little to no evangelism.
Is the Lord leading you to learn about a new culture and ethnic group? Will you pray about the need in The Gambia? Pray not only for their salvation but that our Lord would send more laborers into this harvest field who can help respond to the growing hunger for truth. The Lord has opened many doors to serve as a missionary in the Gambia. Will you join us in introducing more people to the love of Jesus?
Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information or you want to dedicate a Year, 2 Years or more to serve God in the hinterland of the Gambia.
Click here to contact us Please add your WhatsApp number in the message.
To learn more about what we do, click here to go to home page
