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
Then I heard the noise that had woken me up—someone was trying to jerk open the metal front door. Then the form came back to the window. It was a face.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
May 01 2004, 7:14 pm | Comments 0
As usual, I began my health program by introducing the creation story and moving into the month-by-month development of the fetus. My life-sized cutouts of each development stage help break the ice.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
April 01 2004, 8:15 pm | Comments 0
We passed the first gas station and saw the “fini” (finished) sign pasted on the pump. I said, “This is not good.” On we went to the next station, but that one also advertised “fini.”
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
March 01 2004, 8:21 pm | Comments 0
After the death of his wife, Papa’s drinking got progressively worse. He was grieving. He believed she went to heaven and he could talk to her, but it didn’t make it any better.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
February 01 2004, 8:23 pm | Comments 0
And it came to pass in those days that a white woman (blanche) came and lived among us with a vision of helping people live healthier lives. She ate with us and asked lots of questions.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
January 21 2004, 8:28 pm | Comments 0
Do you think the mission field is exotic? Try coming back home to the States after a few years of being away! Here are some random memories I have of my recent furlough.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
January 01 2004, 8:24 pm | Comments 0
The first day, I presented the part of the program that usually gets people to warm up and ask questions. I had made month-by-month life-size cutouts of a fetus. I walked around showing the life-sized cutouts and explained what happens each month of development.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
October 01 2003, 7:29 pm | Comments 0
“What is something we can’t live without?” I asked the group assembled before me for the health lecture. The responses came, “Air,” “Our Spirits,” “Food.” After each, I responded that that wasn’t what I was looking for.
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
September 01 2003, 7:31 pm | Comments 0
Viviane came almost every day to keep me company. We would sit on the cool cement floor in my 100° living room and talk and play with her baby. I felt I had a good enough relationship with her to invite her to study the Bible with me. I also felt my French was finally up to the challenge. Most importantly, I felt God asking me, “How long are you going to wait?”
By:
Suzy & Fidel Baldwin-Noutehou
July 01 2003, 7:33 pm | Comments 0
