NORTH AFRICA
THE N-A IN MENACA
What makes up North Africa?
North Africa has been inhabited by Berbers since the beginning of recorded history, while the eastern part of North Africa has been home to the Egyptians. The Egyptian Empires are extensively written about in the Old and New Testament. The Passover history focuses on the Exodus of the Hebrews out of Egypt and their journey into the Promise Land, today part of modern Israel.
In the seventh and eighth centuries, Arabs from the Middle East swept across the region in a wave of muslim conquest. These peoples formed a single population in many areas, as Berbers and Egyptians merged into Arabic and muslim culture. This process of Arabization and Islamization has defined the cultural landscape of North Africa ever since.
Countries in the North Africa:
Algeria - Egypt - Libya - Mauritania* - Morocco - Sudan* - Tunisia
*countries shared with other MENACA regions
Who are the people of the North Africa?
The inhabitants of North Africa are roughly divided in a manner corresponding to the principal geographic regions of North Africa: the Maghreb, the Nile valley, and the Sahel. The Maghreb or western North Africa on the whole is believed to have been inhabited by Berbers since at least antiquity, while the eastern part of North Africa or the Nile Valley has mainly been home to the Egyptians (Copts) and Nubians. Ancient Egyptians record extensive contact in their Western desert with people that appear to have been Berber. The Sahara also hosted various populations before its rapid desertification and even today continues to host small populations of nomadic peoples.
The largest ethnic groups in North Africa are Arabs. Berbers are considered the second largest ethnicity in North Africa in the west and the Arabs are a majority also in the east approaching the Middle East.
What is the predominant language & religion?
The official languages in the countries making up the Maghreb are Arabic, Tamazight as a second official language in Algeria and Morocco, and Spanish in Ceuta and Melilla. French is also used as an administrative language in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The most spoken language is a variation of regional Maghrebi Arabic, which is a form of ancient Arabic dating back from the 8th century AD that follows Berber grammatical and syntactical structure. For the remaining North African countries, the official language is Arabic.
The region is predominantly muslim with a Jewish minority in Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, and significant and growing Christian minority—the Copts—in Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia.
How should we pray?
Pray for the stability of North Africa.
Pray that the North Africans would receive dreams, visions, and encounters with the Lord and that Jesus would be understood as the Son of God and Emmanuel—God with us.
Pray for a unified effort among workers in our major cities.
Pray for our laborers who are focused on increasing “their light” and reaching those who hunger and thirst to begin their journey.
Pray for our current and future disciples, as laborers walk alongside them.
Pray for local gatherings to develop heathy discipleship and fellowships.
Pray for those who are involved in and outside of North Africa, that networking between the European Diaspora and North Africa would increase.
Pray for Business as laborers and Tent-Making Efforts to be fruitful and that they would have favor with locals.
Pray for the unreached and those just waiting to be reached!
Pray for North Africans who have immigrated to Europe. That they would find the Lord in a foreign land and be called back to minister to their family and friends.