The People

Tuareg —Libya, Percent Christian: 0.00%, Percent Evangelical: 0.00%

Libya is located in central North Africa on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea. Family ties and tribal identity are strong, and many share a Bedouin heritage. Most of the people now live in cities and towns along the Mediterranean.

Simon of Cyrene, who carried the cross of Christ, was a Libyan, and Cyrenean Jews brought the gospel back to Libya after Pentecost. The Christian faith thrived here among the Arabs and Berbers until the Islamic invasion of 624 A.D.

The Tuareg are semi-nomadic Berbers who live in North Africa, from Libya through Algeria, Niger, Mali and Burkina Faso and northern Nigeria. They are known as the “Blue People” because of the men wear an indigo blue veil. These veils are worn as a sign of respect for foreigners and in-laws. They are reputed to be mostly nominal Muslims who also practice folk religion. They are completely unreached with the Christian gospel though some of their Berber ancestors were Christians.

The Painting

Oil on canvas, 22 x 30 inches

The Tuaregs depicts two Tuareg men who live in the desert near Ghadames, Libya.