Adele in Togo

People Name:	Adele
Country:	Togo
10/40 Window:	No
Population:	42,000
World Population:	64,000
Primary Language:	Adele
Primary Religion:	Ethnic Religions
Christian Adherents:	20.00 %
Evangelicals:	5.00 %
Scripture:	New Testament
Online Audio NT:	Yes
Jesus Film:	Yes
Audio Recordings:	Yes
People Cluster:	Guinean
Affinity Bloc:	Sub-Saharan Peoples
Progress Level:

Introduction / History

Gidire is the language of the Adele people. They inhabit an area of about 500 square kilometers, in the Northern Volta Region, east of Dambai ferry and adjoining the Togo border. Mostly they farm, with their main crops being yams, cassava, plantain, cocoyam, beans and rice. They also hunt for antelope, deer, bush cow and bush pig. The Adele live in nucleated villages of small compounds. Most houses are rectangular and thatched, with one main courtyard and the kitchen in a separate room.

They claim to have come down from heaven by a chain bringing with them their two gods, Nayo and Efriko. Their first home was a place called Dibenkpa; as their numbers grew, they founded new settlements which have become the Adele towns of the present day.

There are churches in most Adele towns but traditional sacrifices continue alongside the profession of Christian faith. The Roman Catholic Church is appreciated for the clinics and schools it has brought, but at this point the Pentecostal churches, such as the Church of Pentecost and the Christian Assemblies, appear to be growing faster. Islam has come into the area recently and there are three roofed mosques in various towns, but most Muslims are traders from other tribes, not Adeles.