East Africa
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[edit] Demographics
From 28 million people in 1900, Eastern Africa has grown to 255 million today and likely 450 million by 2025—the most densely populated region on the continent. This is roughly the same as the United States and twice Western Europe. Over a third are children under the age of 15: 100 million in all (5% of the global total). Three-quarters reside in rural areas.
[edit] Natural Resources
Eastern Africa has the second largest total farmland area and vast natural resources, yet droughts and food scarcity are still serious issues. Ethiopia currently faces a horrific famine. Much of this is due to war, grinding poverty, and a lack of infrastructure.
[edit] History
- See also East Africa Chronology
The region’s recent history began in the first century after Christ, when the developing Axum Kingdom emerged as a world power to rival Rome and Asia. Supposedly led by the Solomnid dynasty (with ties to Solomon and the Queen of Sheba), it ruled modern Ethiopia and Eritrea, most of Somalia and Sudan, and collected tribute from states across the Gulf including Yemen. It traded with Arabia, India and China, and was a world market in ivory. In the third century, so the legend goes, a shipwrecked youth from Tyre was taken in by the King as a servant, and later converted the King to Christianity—and with him, the Kingdom. Whatever the truth of the story, the Axum Kingdom certainly did become Christian. The Ethiopian Orthodox Church was founded about 332 AD.
When Muslims came in the early 7th century, it sheltered some of them and earned their respect; Axum was one kingdom the Muslims did not attempt to overthrow, and so endured through the 10th century. It was succeeded by the Zagwe dynasty, which was equally passionate about Christianity and constructed many churches and monasteries. In the 13th century the Solomnids returned to power but were pressured by coastal Muslims and Oromo insurgents. The Europeans were new players on the scene, and throughout the 18th and 19th century came to dominate the region. The early 1900s saw mainly the ongoing battles of colonizers versus colonized, with the result being independence for the countries of East Africa by the mid-20th century. Unfortunately this independence did not yield immediate peace and prosperity.
[edit] Current Status
Saddled with debt and riddled with corruption, the countries in Eastern Africa today are broken and impoverished, with half to three-quarters of their people living in poverty. Many are subsistence farmers, dependent on crops whose value is set by the whims of the global market. Whole crops can be lost to drought or, more often, war. Yet even with this bleak picture, Eastern Africa is responsible for 12% of Africa’s GNP.
Virtually every country has been wounded by many decades of conflict. Rwanda and Burundi have barely recovered from the horrific genocides of the 1990s. Comoros has endured more coups than any other nation. Djibouti has only barely kept out of war, and is now a base for Western forces seeking out terrorists; over half its GNP is related to the French military. Ethiopia and Eritrea fought a costly border war in the late 1990s. Mozambique’s civil war only further impoverished it. Uganda’s civil war continues to this day. Worse, future wars are not impossible as many of the problems have not been solved. Refugees can be found everywhere: for example, refugees from Ethiopia and Somalia make up 10% of the population in Djibouti. At the root of many of the conflicts are both ongoing tribal and religious wars which have yet to be resolved.
This political and economic instability is only worsened by rampant disease. Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe have terrible AIDS epidemics. Some nations have between a quarter and a third of all adults infected. Few will live beyond 40, leaving hundreds of thousands of widows and orphans. In addition they face equally deadly killers like malaria, typhoid, yellow fever, and hepatitis.
[edit] Christianity
Christianity’s early Ethiopian roots were extended by coastal missions in the 17th century and inland missions in the 19th century. Today the African Independent Churches cover the area and there are more evangelicals here than in all of Europe. Kenya is a key base for ministry. Still, tensions simmer between Muslims and Christians, and old beliefs still exist beneath a thin veneer of monotheism. Christianity’s share of the population is growing in eleven countries, and declining in seven. It is rapidly declining in four: Comoros (poor, densely population, solidly Muslim, no witness permitted), Djibouti (Muslim majority, but freedom to minister), Mauritius (half Muslim, work limited but possible, few workers), and Somalia (dangerous, severely limited). Some 15% have no access to the Gospel.
The 27 countries in eastern and southern Africa are already fairly well evangelized thanks to the work of African Inland Mission (AIM) and Sudan Interior Mission (SIM), but there are more than 380 remaining least-reached peoples especially in the Horn of Africa and among the Hindu and Muslim immigrant groups in East Africa. Ethiopia has over 19 million people among its 39 least-reached peoples, representing 34.8% of its population. Sudan has over 18 million people in 137 least-reached groups, representing 56.1% of its population. However, nations like Comoros, Somalia, Djibouti, and Mayotte have over 90% of their population in least-reached groups! Much work remains! The peaceful ending of apartheid in South Africa and the transition to multi-racial democratic government was considered impossible but the miracle occurred in answer to fervent prayer by millions of Christians in South Africa and beyond.
[edit] The Future
East Africa will continue to struggle with poverty, disease and war. Hope for a brighter future is dim. The hardest problems of conflict, corruption and contagious diseases aren’t likely to be solved even by 2010. Microenterprise and leadership and ethics training would all be valued. Water issues and ministry to refugees are particular areas to focus on. Despite these obstacles, this region’s substantial Christian base should be utilized, particularly to focus on ministry to Somalia and Comoros.
[edit] Table1
| Name | P ‘00 | P ‘25 | C ‘00 | % | C ‘25 | % | 75-00 | 00-25 | Issues affecting the future |
| Burundi | 6.5 | 14.0 | 5.9 | 92% | 13.3 | 95% | + + | + + | AIDS, few resources, poverty, poor, ethnic war, refugees, no education |
| Comoros | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 1% | 0.0 | 0% | + + | + - | Poverty, government instability, growth of Islam, no education. |
| Djibouti | 0.7 | 1.1 | 0.0 | 2% | 0.0 | 1% | + - | + - | AIDS, water, unemployment, poverty, droughts, war, Islam. |
| Eritrea | 3.6 | 7.4 | 1.7 | 47% | 3.6 | 49% | + - | + + | AIDS, strategic position, post-war rebuilding, poverty, water. |
| Ethiopia | 68.5 | 118.4 | 37.4 | 55% | 69.7 | 59% | + + | + + | AIDS, poverty, post-war rebuilding, coffee, droughts, famine, wars. |
| Kenya | 30.7 | 55.0 | 24.4 | 79% | 48.2 | 88% | + + | + + | AIDS, church, financial hub, corruption, ethnic war, drought, poverty. |
| Madagascar | 16.2 | 29.4 | 8.2 | 50% | 15.6 | 53% | + + | + + | Poverty, growth, AIDS, refugees, droughts, deforestation. |
| Malawi | 11.5 | 19.7 | 8.8 | 76% | 15.8 | 80% | + + | + + | Development, tobacco, debt relief, corruption, drought, AIDS. |
| Mauritius | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.4 | 33% | 0.5 | 34% | + - | + + | Economic growth, diversification, low poverty, sugarcane, business. |
| Mozambique | 17.9 | 27.6 | 6.9 | 39% | 11.1 | 40% | + + | + + | Post-civil war, absolute poverty, AIDS, debt reduction, droughts. |
| Reunion | 0.7 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 88% | 0.8 | 85% | + - | + - | Cyclones, rich/poor gap/tensions, rioting, sugarcane. |
| Rwanda | 8.0 | 13.4 | 6.2 | 78% | 10.8 | 81% | + + | + + | Severe poverty, mostly recovered from ‘94, dense population, debt. |
| Seychelles | 0.1 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 97% | 0.1 | 94% | + - | + - | Tourism, short droughts, stable government, growing economy. |
| Somalia | 7.0 | 13.8 | 0.1 | 1% | 0.1 | 1% | + + | + - | Anarchy, semi-stable economy, poverty, Islam, persecution, famine. |
| Tanzania | 34.8 | 52.8 | 18.4 | 53% | 29.5 | 56% | + + | + + | Severe poverty, agricultural economy, AIDS, droughts. |
| Uganda | 24.3 | 60.6 | 21.6 | 89% | 55.8 | 92% | + + | + + | Many resources, AIDS, civil war, refugees, corruption, debt. |
| Zambia | 10.7 | 16.4 | 8.9 | 83% | 14.4 | 88% | + + | + + | Severe poverty, horrific AIDSepidemic, drought, corruption. |
| Zimbabwe | 12.6 | 14.4 | 8.5 | 67% | 10.8 | 75% | + + | + + | War recovery, horrific AIDSepidemic, drought, repression. |
