Zenaga is a Berber language. Berbers generally prefer to call themselves Amazigh, meaning free men. They are the original inhabitants of North Africa, which has been overrun by the Roman Empire, and later by the Arabs in the 600s. Since that time, they have largely been "Arabized" meaning their language and culture have been influenced by the Arabs. But they still yearn for freedom no matter where they live.
In general, Berbers feel that the more powerful Arabs have controlled them, though the two groups have often worked together throughout history. Berber groups like the Zenaga speakers would love to have complete freedom, but there are more powerful groups wherever they live. In the case of the Zenagas who live in Mauritania, the Moors are a powerful ethnic group.
Zenaga was widely spoken in the country until around 500 years ago but after a military victory for the Moors, the language of most tribes gradually changed to Hassaniya Arabic – albeit with some vocabulary loaned from Zenaga. Marabout tribes, who specialised in Islamic religious learning, retained the language for the longest time.
Zenaga speakers live in either south-western Mauritania or northern Senegal. In the mid-20th century, they were described as a group of nomadic tribes in an area roughly bounded by Saint-Louis and Podor (Senegal), and Boutilimit and Nouakchott (in Mauritania) although not within these cities. The people group would therefore be mostly located in and around the town of Mederdra, in the what is now known as the Trarza region.
It is highly possible that Zenaga Berbers are not satisfied with their economic situation or the lack of good roads, potable water or electricity. Their lifestyle has traditionally been rural, nomadic and tribal and the use of the Zenaga has declined over time in favour of Hassaniya Arabic. The Trarza region of Mauritania is mainly desert apart from a thin belt of arable farmland along the Senegal River and its delta.
The primary religion practised by the Zenaga Berbers in Mauritania is Sunni Islam, the largest branch of Islam. Sunni Muslims follow the teachings of the Qur 'an and consider the first four caliphs to be the rightful successors of Muhammad. As some Zenaga people have traditionally held a role as marabouts (religious leaders and teachers), they may be a relatively high level of education and influence in their communities.
There are few if any Christian materials in their language. The decline of the language is likely to correspond with a long-term sense of cultural decline and a concern about how or whether they can pass on their way of life to the next generation. The language is considered highly endangered and is mainly spoken by people aged over 45 years of age.
Scripture Prayers for the Zenaga in Mauritania.
There are no Zenaga speakers who have embraced Jesus Christ, so pray for the Holy Spirit to move in their communities in the coming years.
Pray for opportunities for Zenaga speakers to hear and respond to Jesus Christ, despite the fact they live in a closed country.
Pray for a Disciple-Making movement to move through Zenaga communities in both Mauritania and Senegal
For guidance as the Zenaga people face uncertainty and seek to maintain their culture in Mauritanian society
Scripture Prayers for the Zenaga in Mauritania.
Dubié, Paul (1940). "L 'îlot berbérophone de Mauritanie", Bulletin de l 'IFAN; 2, pp. 315–325.
|Profile Source: Keith Carey, et al.|
|People Name General||Zenaga|
|People Name in Country||Zenaga|
|Population this Country||1,000|
|Population all Countries||1,500|
|Progress Scale||1 ●|
|Frontier People Group||Yes|
|GSEC||1 (per PeopleGroups.org)|
|Pioneer Workers Needed||1|
|Alternate Names||Berber; Duaish; Idaouich; Masna; Nimadi|
|Region||Africa, West and Central|
|Persecution Rank||23 (Open Doors top 50 rank, 1 = highest persecution ranking)|
|Location in Country||Trarza region: Atlantic coast to Mederdra Source: Ethnologue 2018|
|Primary Language||Arabic, Hassaniyya|
|Language Code||mey Ethnologue Listing|
|Language Written||Yes ScriptSource Listing|
Primary Language: Arabic, Hassaniyya
|Bible Translation ▲||Status (Years)|
|Possible Print Bibles|
|Forum Bible Agencies|
|National Bible Societies|
|World Bible Finder|
|Resource Type ▲||Resource Name||Source|
|Audio Recordings||Audio Bible teaching||Global Recordings Network|
|Audio Recordings||Audio New Testament||General / Other|
|Audio Recordings||Online New Testament||Faith Comes by Hearing|
|Audio Recordings||Oral Bible stories||One Story|
|Audio Recordings||Story of Jesus audio||Jesus Film Project|
|Film / Video||Indigitube.tv Video / Animation||Create International|
|Film / Video||Jesus Film: view in Hassaniyya||Jesus Film Project|
|Film / Video||LUMO film of Gospels||Bible Media Group/LUMO|
|Film / Video||The Prophets' Story||Create International|
|General||Bible for Children||Bible for Children|
|General||Gospel resources links||Scripture Earth|
|Mobile App||Download audio Bible app as APK file||Faith Comes by Hearing|
|Major Religion ▲||Percent|
|Christianity (Evangelical 0.00 %)||
|Other / Small||
|Christian Segments ▲||Percent|