History
Since the mid-1400s, the Songhai have been known as great and fearless warriors. A multi-talented people, they used their extensive organizational skills to conquer their neighbors and develop a government for one of the three great medieval West African empires. Ultimately, the ancestral lands grew to encompass over 60 miles from each bank of the upper bend of the Niger River in what is today eastern Mali and western Niger.
Religion
The Songhai are 99.5% Muslim. Even though Islam introduced new elements to the Songhai culture, it left the underlying framework of custom and tradition virtually untouched. Islam is superficially important but spirit possession, magic, sorcery, and witchcraft remain the vital components of Songhai belief.
Current Lifestyle
Songhai people primarily exist through agriculture. Men grow millet and sorghum in sandy fields and cultivate rice along the banks of the Niger River. Women tend gardens producing okra, tomatoes, onions, garlic and beans. They survive in one of the harshest climates in the world with heat indexes that reach 150 and little rainfall. The Songhai settlements usually consist of round, mud or thatched dwellings with straw roofs. All of the Songhai men within the village have a common male ancestor. Although the Islamic law allows a man to have up to four wives, most of the Songhai men have only one.
Needs
Long established beliefs in the spirit world, coupled with Islam, have planted a strong barrier against Christianity among the Songhai. Of approximately three million Songhai, it is believed that only about .2% may be Christian. The great majority of the Songhai people have never heard the Gospel Message.