Guinea

The people living in the territory of Guinea when it was colonized by the French in 1891 were the Mandinga, who were Muslim. Islam has remained the majority religion. Guinea achieved its independence in 1958, refusing the kind of "commonwealth" proposed by France at that time, and cutting all its ties with the former colonial power. It opted for a socialist model of development, but became isolated, and gradually the economic and social conditions deteriorated. Guinea was still struggling in 2005 with setting up a viable democratic system. The civil wars in neighbouring Liberia and Sierra Leone in the 1990s created instability in the border areas, and an influx of refugees. Guinea has large bauxite reserves and is the second-largest bauxite exporter. The great majority of the population lives from subsistence farming. The Christian churches are a small minority in Guinea. The largest Protestant group, the Protestant Evangelical Church of Guinea, joined the WCC in 2005. Together with the small Anglican community - part of the Province of West Africa - and the Catholic Church, it has formed a Christian Council. There is also a Federation of Evangelical Churches and Missions, affiliated with the WEA. An inter-religious council facilitates dialogue and relationships between Christians and Muslims.