Central African Republic

The Central African Republic (CAR) is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa bordered by Cameroon, Chad, Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the Republic of the Congo. It is one of the poorest countries in Africa and in the world, and also has one of the lowest population densities in the world. There are more than 80 different ethnic groups represented, with no overwhelming majority. As elsewhere in Africa, religious elements are of central importance in social life, and nearly everyone practices and adheres to a religion. Roughly half of the inhabitants are Christian, evenly split between Catholics and Protestants; 15% are Muslim, and 35% follow African traditional religion primarily. Jehovah's Witnesses, Baha'is, Mormons, and Seventh-Day Adventists have a small presence as well.

There is archaeological evidence of settlements in the central region of Africa as early as the seventh century BCE. The area was beyond the reach of the initial spread of Islam in North Africa, and its inhabitants were highly isolated from surrounding civilizations until the arrival of Muslim-Arab traders in the mid-1800s and the arrival of the French in the 1880s. Between 1860 and 1910, much of the population of eastern CAR was exported by slave traders from West Africa. By 1910, the French established the colony of Oubangui-Chari in the region. Since achieving independence in 1960, the country's history has been marked by economic instability and a series of dictatorships, although in the early 1990s, some steps were taken toward multiparty democracy.

French Catholic and Swedish Baptist missionaries arrived in the region by the end of the 19th century. Converts were won slowly, mostly though the missionaries’ offerings of education, literacy, and medical care. In the 20th century, two locally initiated prophetic movements, the Mission to Africa (MTA) and the church of Simon Kimbangu, attracted huge numbers to their distinctly Africanized form of Christianity and greatly contributed to the spread of that religion across central and western Africa. Both of these groups claim many adherents in the CAR today and are characterized by faith healing, prophecy, divinely inspired prayer, and long, ecstatic worship services.

Traditional religious beliefs and practices are still strong among the various ethnic groups of the CAR. Although there is no uniform traditional religion in the region, some commonalities across groups can be found in their belief in a supreme god, veneration for ancestors and for the elderly, emphasis on divination and prophecy, and belief in witchcraft. Although only 35% of the population practices traditional religion exclusively, Christians and Muslim groups are also heavily influenced by the traditional worldview. Interactions between religious groups are generally peaceful, and there is a high level of tolerance from the government and religious freedom.