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What we are going to discuss here is the shape that Christianity is going to take in Agnovia (1), I mean Manden Kufabafa (2). As of the thirteenth century, Agnovia is a cultural region extending between the Teneré Desert in the north and the lush rainforests along the coast in the south. It is a cultural region to such an extent comparable to India or China, with limited contact northwards across the Teneré.

To understand how what shape Christianity is going to take shape along the Niger River, we ought to firstly take a look at what is the form of Christianity that reaches the area in the first place. You see, what we are familiar with as “Catholic Christianity” has greatly taken influences from the Mediterranean classical world, from the Hellenistic mystery cults of the Greco-Roman cultural substratum.

The sect active in Tamasga (3) at the time were called Donatists. The region had a tradition of previously being in opposition to Rome itself, considering the Punic wars, and North Africa had been oriented at maritime trade, while the highland regions were home to Berber clansmen, living pastoralist lives. The lowlands used to have a developed urban culture, while the countryside was dotted with large agricultural holdings.

When speaking of the distinctions that marked the distinction between Catholics and the early Donatists, first of all it has to do with the pardoning of sins. The Donatists were in favour of the church being a community “It does, however, appear that African Christianity always included a vigorous and fanatical element that must have had its effect in spreading the new religion, even though there is little evidence of positive missionary efforts.“ (4). This statemennt hints that an element of uncompromising religious zeal was present in the form that Christianity took up in North Africa. I will help myself again with the following quote
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Classical ruins in Numigia
„The churches in numerous communities, especially in Numidia, followed Donatus from the start and claimed that they alone constituted the true church of the martyrs, who were objects of particularly enthusiastic veneration among African Christians. Some Donatists were killed when their churches were confiscated, the victims being honoured as martyrs, but in 321 Constantine rejected further pressure, and the Donatists continued to increase rapidly in numbers. For the rest of the century, they probably made up half the Christians in North Africa. They were strongest in Numidia and Mauretania Sitifensis, and the antischismatics predominated in the proconsular province of Africa; the position in the Mauretanias was more even, but Christianity did not spread rapidly there until the 5th century.“ (5)

We can really see that Donatism was pedominatly a Berber, to a much lesser extent a Punic affair, and virtually no Afirkans, that is Latinate population took part of it.We can really see some of the distinguishing traits of the early Donatist Church – a cult of martyrs, which will further inspire others to follow in their footsteps. Also characteristic is the question over which the schism has taken place – not Christology, but the question of divine mercy (6). The Donatists themselves were rather strict on this issue – people who denied their faith vis-à-vis the Roman persecutions, were seen as apostates. Ultimately, what you get is a branch of Christianity that really is strictly rigorist, telling you that you ought to rather die than commit sin. Furthermore, riches (mammon) were equated with sin. The virtues and sins play an important role for the Donastists, who try to eliminate any vices.

Of what happened to Donatism after the Vandal conquest and the Rhomaic reconquest we can see from here: “surviving Donatists were inevitably persecuted. Seriously weakened though it had been under the Vandals, the African church retained some traces of its vigour when it led the opposition of the Western churches to the theological policies of emperors at Constantinople—e.g., those of Justinian himself and also of Heraclius and Constans II immediately before the Arab invasions.“

The faith as described previously would be very much carried by the Tuaregs across the Teneré in the same manner. After all, the Tuaregs were of Berber origin themselves, so the cultural differences are not too great; the major adaptations are going to be caused by the desert environment. Previous ideas equating riches with mammon and sin continue to tell the desert nomads, that living a nomadic lifestyle is good for their salvation, for they cannot possess more than they are able to take with them. For the Tuaregs, Christianity is mostly a recipe, a way of life. True enough, you still are going to have priests and stuff, but do not expect a desert tribe to have highly educated theologians. Prophets and hermits yes, speaking through some sort of divine inspiration (7), spreading the message through the word of mouth, but not theologians writing thick books of philosophy.
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Ruins of a church in Gao
Thus, when Christianity arrived in Gao, it had a message of practically telling you “do not build magnificent palaces, be a virtuous, righteous, just man and be careful not to commit any sin, because, well you do not want to get through all this process of pardoning. To fail is bad, to be an apostate that’s very bad. You don’t want it, right?” Although not literally saying it, offers people salvation through being just.

Upon reaching the Songhay people at Kawkaw (Gao), the ideas brought by the Tuaregs from the desert interacted already with the ideas present among the locals. The Songhay people speak a language belonging to the Nilo-Saharan group. Wikipedia says: “Among Nilo-Saharan speakers is the belief in Divinity; evil is caused by divine judgement and retribution; prophets as middlemen between Divinity and man.“ (8). These ideas match perfectly fine with the message passed to them by the Tuaregs. When taking a look at traditional Songhay beliefs, little information could be found (9). From the scarce information it appears that spirit possession, ancestor worship and witchcraft were ideas that have been deeply ingrained in Songhay culture. Thus, when reading the Gospels, the Songhay people literally take word-for-word what there has been said of people possessed by evil spirits. For them, the figure of Jesus was interpreted as a powerful shaman-healer, performing miracles. The practice of ancestor worship can be synchronized with the already existent cult of the martyrs. When these two ideas meet, the logical conclusion is to tell people: do not die on your beds, die as a hero on the battlefield!
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The mud-brick city of Djenné
These ideas are then passed down to the Wagadou. The Wagadou realm further indigenizes the Christianity, incorporating more elements of the traditional faiths.

The Manden Kurufaba emerges in a region that practices Mande traditional religion with no Christian influences. The Mande society held in high respect the iron-workers and smiths, who formed a somewhat privileged caste. In fact, the caste system and the presence of secret societies (10) exists in the Mande culture (11). Prior to the spread of writing, it as particularly the iron .
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Masks have been playing an important role in the rituals of Egnovia
Little is known of the original Mande religion, so these theories are going to mainly based on Dogon religious practices (12). The Dogon beliefs speak of a celestial diety called Amma, heading the divine triumvirate with the Water God Namma and the earth god Lebe. This belief can be transformed into the doctrine of the Holy trinity pretty easily.

In pre-Christian times, the coming of rain was an important part of religious life back then, as the area depended on seasonal rain. The festival of Bulo, marking the beginning of the rain season between May and June. This festival can be the date of a late Easter, marking the ending of the fasting period, a.k.a dry season.

Other important elements in the mythology is importance of certain trees, and animals (snakes, leopards, fish, lizards) and the bearing of masks. Other important traits are veneration of ancestors and a fixation on the star Sirius. The religious importance of this star is most probably due to its connection with the arrival of the rain season.
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Further native art
So with all this background, what can we presume? Most likely, Christianity in the Mande cultural region is going to be dramatically different from that in Carthage, that´s for sure. The calendar of Christian festivals is going to be shifted, to make Easter celebrations corresponding with the beginning of the rain season; a period of 40-day fasting will precede it. Christmas celebrations are going to be somewhere near the middle of the dry season, or perhaps at its beginning. What can be said right now, the Mande people are going to be 100% sure that the star that stopped above Bethlehem was the Sirius star.

Priesthood is going to be passed down from father to son by a selected priestly caste, either those who used to be iron-workers or the griots. Priests are to have the role of shamans, doctors and healers. The Mansa himself has been seen as a sorcerer in the eyes of his subjects. Given the immense power of the Mande realm, we may be witnessing the emergence of a distinctly West African Christian denomination. Local traditions are very likely to syncretize with the arriving Christianity.
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