Abu Sharib

The Abu Sharib migrated to central eastern Chad several centuries ago, settling on a strip of land more fertile than that of other groups in the same arid region. Their history is intertwined with that of the Mararit people, with whom they share a language and common origin, within the larger group of Tama peoples in the east of the country.

Proximity to rivers allowed for a stable agricultural way of life, unlike the nomadic herding common in much of Chad. In recent decades, the region has also received large numbers of families fleeing conflicts in western Sudan, making eastern Chad more diverse and, at times, more tense.

The life of the Abu Sharib revolves around growing millet, peanuts and cotton, with work organized by the extended family and village ties. It is common for men to leave the community for a period to work elsewhere, contributing income before returning home. Marriages are usually arranged between families, and a man may have up to four wives.

Children, especially boys, are seen as a blessing, and raising a large family is a source of honor. The water from nearby rivers, uncommon in Chad’s arid region, gives the community a stability that neighboring nomadic peoples do not have.

Practically all of the Abu Sharib are Sunni Muslims, and Islamic faith is deeply intertwined with older folk beliefs from the region where they live. At the start of the rainy season, before planting millet, it is common to offer sacrifices asking for blessing on the harvest and enough rain, a custom that predates the arrival of Islam but today coexists alongside the people’s Muslim identity.

Being Abu Sharib and being Muslim are, in practice, almost the same thing in the eyes of the community, and this fusion shapes everything from agricultural rituals to the closest family ties.

The Mararit language, spoken by the Abu Sharib, already has a Bible translation project underway, but no complete Bible is yet available in the language. There is practically no Christian literature or faith material in Mararit circulating among families, and access to audio content or already translated portions remains very limited. For most of the Abu Sharib, the first contact with the message of Jesus would still depend on someone speaking directly in the people’s own language.

Being Abu Sharib is, in practice, being Muslim: faith and identity walk together, and abandoning Islam is seen as breaking with family and community. The near total absence of a complete Bible in Mararit, together with the distance from any church or Christian community in the region, makes first contact with the gospel extremely rare. The recent arrival of thousands of families displaced by the conflicts in Sudan has also made the region more unstable, making it even harder to reach the people.

The displacement of thousands of families from western Sudan is putting pressure on the already scarce resources of the region where the Abu Sharib live, increasing the need for food, water and stability for everyone. Children need schools, and families need basic medical care, which today is practically nonexistent in the most remote villages.

In the spiritual realm, the people almost entirely lack someone to show, in practice, the love of Christ and to announce the good news in their own Mararit language.