Gobato

The history of the Gobato has been passed down mainly through oral memory, and there are few written records of their journey. It is known that their language belongs to the Berta group of speech varieties, and that the people live in the lowlands of northwestern Ethiopia, in a region where groups of diverse languages and traditions have long lived side by side.

Over the centuries, constant contact with neighbors and traders in the region brought new religious and cultural influences, which were added to the customs of their ancestors. Today the Gobato keep this heritage in layers: loyalty to the group, a bond with the land and a faith shaped by many crossings.

The Gobato live mainly from agriculture. They grow maize and sorghum, and supplement their livelihood by raising animals. The community calendar follows the rains: the time to sow, to weed and to harvest organizes the work and also the gatherings.

Life revolves around the extended family, in which grandparents, children, grandchildren and relatives share tasks, food and important decisions. The elders are listened to with respect, and it falls to them to give counsel and mediate disputes. Hospitality is a central value: whoever arrives at a Gobato home is usually welcomed with whatever there is to share, even when the harvest has been tight.

Most of the Gobato identify with Islam, which is part of community life, of festivals and of the way important family moments are marked. Alongside it, among part of the people, traditional beliefs linked to ancestors and spirits remain, influencing the way they deal with illness, harvest and the protection of the home.

In practice, faith is lived in community rather than individually: belonging to the group and following the religion of one’s parents go together. For this reason, speaking of Jesus to a Gobato is, above all, a conversation between friends and families, carried out with patience, respect and attention to everything they already value.

There are portions of Scripture in the Berta language, available since the mid-2000s, but there is not yet a complete New Testament or the whole Bible. There are also audio recordings, which can reach those who have access to a device. Since reading is not always common in the villages, group listening, using recordings in the language of the heart, is an especially promising way for the Word to reach Gobato families.

For the Gobato, religion is intertwined with the identity of the group and with family ties, so that changing faith can be seen as a break from the community. Added to this are the scarcity of Scripture in their language, the small number of people, the isolation of the villages and the absence of a nearby church that speaks their language and knows their culture. Few have had the chance to personally meet someone who follows Jesus.

Many Gobato communities have limited access to education, health care and clean water, and depend on rains that do not always arrive on time, which makes harvests vulnerable. There is also a need to protect the language and culture, so that new generations do not lose what they have received.

On the spiritual level, the people need those who will live among them with humility, learn their language and share the gospel clearly and lovingly. They also need materials in Berta and communities of faith that arise from within the Gobato themselves.