Africa is a land of great natural beauty and divergence. Parts of western and central Africa are covered by tropical rain forests, while the world's largest desert, the Sahara, sweeps across northern Africa. The world's longest river, the Nile, flows for over 4,000 miles through northeastern Africa.

Most of northern Africa is populated by Arabs, while south of the Sahara, where most Africans live, blacks are the majority of the population. Africa's blacks are divided into more than 800 ethnic groups, each with its own culture, language and religion.

Ethnic differences have made it difficult for many African countries to develop into unified, modern nations. Ethnic conflicts have erupted into civil wars in several nations. Most Africans dwell in rural areas, living in much the same way as their ancestors did hundreds of years ago. Egypt's Nile River Valley is one of the most heavily populated regions on earth, with an average of 2,165 persons per square mile.

Africa had rich natural resources, including copper, diamonds, gold, petroleum, and timber. Yet, in spite of her great resources, Africa has the least developed economy of nay continent.

Drought, erratic rain fall, deforestation, and overgrazing have created serious food shortages and even famine in some areas. Poverty is the only life-style known by many Africans.

Ancient Egypt, one of the world's great early civilizations, developed in the Nile River Valley more than 5,000 years ago. European traders began to exploit Africa in the 1400s. Slaves and gold became the continent's most valuable exports. By the 1900s, European nations had divided almost all of Africa into colonial empires.

Between 1950 and 1980, 47 former colonies became independent. Independence has not been without problems. Two-thirds of the nations of Africa experienced the overthrow of their government during the past quarter-century. Military leaders established dictatorships in a number of countries. Ethnic rivalries and territorial disputes threaten the stability of the continent. Poverty, famine, overpopulation, and disease are continuing challenges to be confronted.

The Church of God's first effort to evangelize Africa took place more than sixty-five years ago when P.F. Barnewall and J.F. Carscadden attempted to take the Pentecostal message into French West Africa. Arriving in what is now Ghana in February, 1927, these men and their families traveled inland finally reaching Ouagadougou, French West Africa on April 19. Already exhausted by the journey and bouts with seasickness and malaria, they received disheartening news. The local government required a deposit of $1,000 for each person in the absence of an official guarantee of support from the church. Unable to meet this requirement, the disappointed Barnewall-Carscadden group was forced to return home without realizing their dream of evangelizing Africa.

Appointed as missionaries to Angola at the 1937 General Assembly, Edmond and Pearl Stark arrived in Angola in May 1938. Less than one year later, Edmond Stark was struck down by malaria, becoming the first Church of God missionary to give his life in a foreign field.

In all the continent of Africa, 259 million people embrace Islam. This includes the seven North African lands which are considered in the Middle East region. About 130 million African are Christians. Some independent African churches combine Christian beliefs with traditional African practices. Each ethnic group has its own beliefs and practices, so there are hundreds of local religions in Africa. All African religions recognize a supreme god, but most teach that people should appeal to lesser gods or to the spirits of dead ancestors.

Much of Africa's traditional tribal religion is animistic. The animist knows that there is more to reality than just the physical body. He believers in the soul, and he believes in the spirit world. Since he does not know the truth of God's word, the animist has a warped view of God and God's creation. Animists know that spirits exist and they worship these spirits. They believe good and evil spirits inhabit natural things such as trees, fields, mountains, rocks, and bodies of water. They attempt to communicate with and worship the souls of dead people. They are controlled by superstition and fear.

In Africa's potpourri of races and religions, one truth is evident - we must preach the message that will deliver people from their fears and superstitions. We must introduce them to Jesus Christ - the Spirit of Life!

This article was written in the 1980s.

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