About the People
About 150,000 Otammari live in Northern Benin and Togo. They are famous for their masonry and their traditional homes that resemble mud castles. Most are subsistence farmers and hunters.
Illiteracy is high among this group. Many people only read French, the administrative language of Benin. Very few can read or write their heart language, Ditammari. Most cling to animism and ancestor worship and have resisted both Islam and Christianity. Each household has a family altar called the fetish, where the father of the household makes sacrifices and appeals to the spirits of the ancestors. Participation in initiation ceremonies is of the highest importance for teenage boys and girls.
The whole Bible is translated into Ditammari, but it is out of print. However, the Holy Spirit is moving among these people who have traditionally been extremely resistant to outsiders. Evangelical Christians of several denominations have noticed a dramatic change in their openness in recent years.
About the Project
AFM missionaries have been ministering to the Otammari people since Linden and Michelle St. Clair launched the project in 1996. Today, Ulrike Baur-Kouato leads the project, assisted by her husband Toussaint and three local evangelists. They are working to nurture the church in Natitingou and a growing number of groups in surrounding villages. Suzy Baldwin worked on the Otammari Project for many years and now serves on the Pendjari Project.
People-Group Facts
- Population: 150,000
- Language: Ditammari
- Religion: Animist
Each Wednesday afternoon at about 4 p.m., the small group of five Pathfinders sings for the glory of God. I didn’t start this group. In fact, I’m not even the official director.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
January 01 2007, 4:01 pm | Comments 0
Albertine came to us in 1999. She lived with us for two years and was baptized. Two months after she graduated from seamstress school, she married our friend, Sidoine.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
December 01 2006, 6:41 pm | Comments 0
“I want to kill myself,” M’po said, his eyes never meeting mine. He had just shared about some difficulties in his life, and I could feel that this was a spiritual battle.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
November 01 2006, 6:43 pm | Comments 0
“There are over 200 orphans!” The news went on to explain that a tanker truck carrying gasoline had overturned in the town of Porga when the driver swerved to avoid a child in the road.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
September 01 2006, 4:00 am | Comments 0
Suzanne, a girl from church, recently told me what happened when she went home for break. Her father is mad because she isn’t doing what he wants her to do.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
May 01 2006, 5:50 pm | Comments 0
“Sœur Suzy, can you help us figure out how to find good wives?” “Please pray for a good wife for me.” “How do we know who is a good wife for us?”
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
March 01 2006, 6:53 pm | Comments 0
“Soeur Suzy, will you do a health feature each night for the evangelistic series we are going to do at the end of November?” asked Bony, the evangelist working here in Natitingou.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
February 01 2006, 7:38 pm | Comments 0
“Hey, what are we doing?” Clyde Morgan asked as I turned the truck around. We were on our way to take him to the airport in Ouagadougou.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
January 01 2006, 7:40 pm | Comments 0
An unwelcome visitor has come to Natitingou and many other places in West Africa. He has been hanging around for several months now, and everyone hopes he’ll go away soon. Who is this stranger?
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
November 01 2005, 7:44 pm | Comments 0
“Tawes’ son is sick, and the family wants to take him to the hospital. Can they go back to Natitingou with you?” He was about 10 and looked like a famine victim. He’d always been skinny even when he’d been eating enough.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
October 01 2005, 6:46 pm | Comments 0
