People group profile · PG050682
The Barwe of Mozambique
The Barwe of Mozambique, numbering about 44,000 people, are Engaged yet Unreached. They are a small Bantu ethnic group from central Mozambique, closely related to the Sena-speaking peoples, with a traditional rural lifestyle, their own language (Barwe), and a cultural identity rooted in local African traditions and history.
They are an indigenous people in the Bantu, Chewa-Sena people cluster of the Sub-Saharan African Peoples. Their primary religion is African Traditional Religion, and they primarily speak Barwe.
Fast facts
- Country
- Mozambique
- Population
- 44,000
- Affinity group
- Sub-Saharan African Peoples
- People cluster
- Bantu, Chewa-Sena
- Primary language
- Barwe (bwg)
- Primary religion
- African Traditional Religion
- Strategic Progress Index
- Engaged yet Unreached
- Evangelical
- Less than 2%
- GSEC
- Less than 2% Evangelical, No Recent CP Activity
- Lostness priority
- Frontier Unreached People Group
- Also known as
- Barue, Báruè, Chibarwe
- Region
- Eastern Africa, Africa
- Location
- Manica Province
Where they live
Gospel status
The Barwe are Engaged yet Unreached, which means fewer than 2% are evangelical Christians, but there are sustained efforts to establish self-sustaining churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. 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 Yes
- Church planting in the last two years No Churches Planted
Next steps for the Barwe
- Continue prayer and fasting for this group
- Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting among this group
- Begin training up local leaders to lead and develop strategies to reach their own people
Primary religion
African Traditional Religion · Ethnoreligion
70% adherents
Primary language
Barwe · Atlantic-Congo family
80% speak Barwe
Pray for the Barwe
- Romans 10:14–15. Ask God to send messengers, so that people can hear, believe and call on the name of the Lord.
- 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.
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