Quick facts about the Bambara

• Location: Mali, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Senegal
• Status: Engaged by IMB
• Population: 4,000,000
• Primary Religion: Folk Islam
• Number of Christians: .007% of population
• Language: Bamana

• Most are Muslim though 13% practice African traditional religion
• Cotton, peanuts and home industries are sources of income
• They eat mostly millet and rice
• Limited access to health care, poor sanitation
• Less than 10% are literate
• Polygamous marriages, strong extended family

Pray for more workers willing to take Living Water to the arid land of the Bambara.

Learn more about the Bambara!

The Bambara are among the most powerful and influential groups in Mali. They claim to be 90% Muslim, but their Islam has been mixed with African Traditional religion. The result is men who pray in the mosque, and then visit the fetisher to get “medicine” to protect them from harm.

The Bambara are primarily agriculturists, living in many small villages. Frequent droughts and desertification result in decreasing food supplies. Most farmers can’t produce enough food for their families year by year. Health problems are prolific and life expectancy is 49 years.

Life among the Bambara is hard, but their eternity is hopeless without salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. Without Jesus, this hard life filled with hunger, suffering, illness and hardship is the best they will ever experience. Jesus brings joy in the face of hardship, peace in the midst of suffering, and the assurance of a future in heaven with God.  More than anything else, the Bambara people need the hope and salvation of Jesus Christ.