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
Local politicians oppose Christians because they believe that their powers come from their traditional spiritual leaders. Praise God, He sustains His church, and it is still standing.
By:
Carrie James
August 01 2020, 1:22 pm | Comments 0
No matter what your name is on this earth, whether it has a special meaning or not, when Jesus comes to take us home, He will give us a new name. I’m sure it will have a very special meaning, and it will be beautiful!
By:
Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
July 01 2020, 1:02 pm | Comments 0
It was as if God wanted to make sure the guard got the point. He came by in the morning, his pants rolled up to his knees, sheepishly complaining that it had taken him hours to get all the water out of the house.
By:
Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
June 01 2020, 12:35 pm | Comments 0
Would you please pray for the Holy Spirit to touch our Otammari peoples’ hearts and open their eyes so they see their own condition?
By:
Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
April 01 2020, 7:22 pm | Comments 0
The Pathfinder work in our area has had a real boost since Bruna came here. She came as an STM in 2017, spent two years on the project and then decided to stay in Benin, where she continues to invest herself in Pathfinders and children, making a real difference in young people’s lives.
By:
Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
February 25 2020, 8:52 pm | Comments 0
“Sister, we praise God that you have found Christ. But let me tell you, your journey is not quite over yet!”
By:
Hyacinthe Tianati
February 01 2020, 1:46 pm | Comments 0
For them there was no such thing as an unimportant visit, phone call or encounter. I saw an interruption, but they saw a person, and no matter what this person had to say, it was important.
By:
Ulrike & Toussaint Baur-Kouato
October 01 2019, 3:04 pm | Comments 0
