People group profile · PG015060
The Wasi of Tanzania
The Wasi of Tanzania, numbering about 64,500 people, are Unengaged and Unreached. They are a South Cushitic people known by the Swahili exonym Wasi, whose ancestors migrated from southwestern Ethiopia via Lake Turkana into Tanzania's Rift Valley around 2000 BC, predating Bantu settlement, and adopted Islam via nineteenth-century Swahili traders.
They are an indigenous people in the Rift people cluster of the Horn of Africa Peoples. Their primary religion is Folk Islam, and they primarily speak Alagwa.
Fast facts
- Country
- Tanzania
- Population
- 64,500
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Rift
- Primary language
- Alagwa (wbj)
- Primary religion
- Folk Islam
- Strategic Progress Index ?
- Unengaged and Unreached
- Evangelical
- No Known Evangelicals
- GSEC ?
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority ?
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Location
- Dodoma region: Kondoa district
Where they live
Gospel status
The Wasi are Unengaged and Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, and there has been no reported church planting activity in the past two years. In GSEC terms, this people group is less than 2% evangelical, some evangelical resources are available, but there has been no active church planting among them within the past two years.
- Congregations exist No
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Wasi
- Pray that God would send workers to this people group
- Begin sowing the gospel and seek out people of peace
- Plant the first churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice
Primary religion
Folk Islam · Islam
99% adherents
Primary language
Alagwa · Afro-Asiatic family
58% speak Alagwa
Gospel resources in Alagwa
- Bible available, published 2018
- JESUS Film available
- Radio programs not available
- Gospel recordings available
- Audio resources available
- Bible stories not available
Films
- JESUS (Alagwa)
Find more at the JESUS Film Project, Bible.com and Faith Comes by Hearing.
Pray for the Wasi
- Matthew 9:37–38. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest field.
- 2 Timothy 2:2. Pray for faithful local leaders who will teach others, so that the church multiplies.
- Ephesians 5:8. Pray that those walking in darkness will turn to the light and live as children of light.
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
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