Statistics
People name: Susu
Country: Mali
Language: Susu
Evangelical: .00006%
Population: 800,000
 
E-Mail:
smithf@cmalliance.org

Prayer Profile:
The Susu of Guinea, Africa

Where the Susu live...
The 800,000 Susu (Soussou or Sosso) of coastal Guinea make up 17 percent of the country's total population. The Susu who live further inland are primarily traders and farmers, but those living closer to the coastal regions rely heavily on fishing, and gathering oil and coconut for their livelihood.

What the Susu are like...
The Susu of Guinea are primarily farmers of rice and vegetables. The Susu have not in the past done very much in terms of market trade, yet The Susu are becoming the predominant ethnic group in the capital city because the president of the country, Lansana Conte, is Susu.

Most grow rice, pineapples, mangos, and coconuts to eat, but the major components of their economy include fishing and salt production. For the family to survive, most of the children help with the harvest, very few finding time to attend school.

What the Susu believe...
Many Susu are superstitious and rely on the marabous. Marabous are the Muslims who practice a form of witchcraft in order to heal the sick or divine the mysteries of everyday circumstances. One popular method for healing a sickness is for them to write a few Koranic verses on paper, wash the ink off with water from a certain river, and then drink the mixture during a special time of the Muslim lunar month. The Susu believe Mohammed was the final prophet, yet THE SUSU mix their Muslim faith with animism by performing sacrifices to evil spirits for luck and protection. To date, there is only a handful of Susu believers, with a single pastor. Several ministry efforts have sparked a desire for the Christian Scriptures, but there are only a few portions translated into their language. Yet the Susu respond positively to sensitive Christian love.

Why the Susu are still unreached...
Islam and the marabous have a strong hold on the Susu. That is evidenced by the fact that there are less than 100 identifiable evangelical Christians among this overwhelmingly Muslim group! A large majority of the Muslims, however, do not practice a pure form of Islam but participate in a folk Islamic religion. The marabous play a major role in this mixture of animism and the teachings of the Koran.

One thing the marabous cannot do for their people is reveal the true light of God's salvation for them. This is going to require someone from outside the Susu culture. The C&MA has two couples and a Guinean national assigned to penetrate this people group with the gospel. The only way The Susu will be able to be effective in this is through the power of prayer breaking down the barriers Satan has built up over centuries.

What God is doing among them...
The Susu are resistant to change. The Susu are strongly Muslim. For a Muslim to become a Christian means that the Susu will be rejected, persecuted, and disowned by family and friends. Few Susus have ever confessed Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. Of those who do convert, often The Susu revert back to Islam due to the pressures of family and society. Despite this, God is at work among the Susu raising up a church unto Himself. Recently a Susu man who converted to Christ backslid and for years lived in sin, then God once again got a hold of his heart and he returned to Christ in newness of life and fervor.

The Susu to this point have not been responsive to the presentation of the gospel. Only a few converts have been reached in this ethnic group. The C&MA has appointed four missionary families to work among the Susu, two in Conakry and two in Kindia. Outreach efforts include a literature center, Bible studies, personal evangelism, English classes, and the showing of the Jesus Film.

The strategy to reach this people group includes using the above mentioned methods to make contacts, and to join early converts into cell groups and planting language distinct-churches among this group in both Conakry and Kindia. In Kindia at present there is a bookroom to sell Christian literature and provide a nonthreatening place to meet for Bible study. Conakry also has a Muslim outreach center where literature is sold and Bible discussions can be held.