Abba Garima Monastery is a member of one of the few pre-colonial Christian Churches in Sub-Saharan Africa that gained what in 1959?
Abba Garima Monastery Abba Garima Monastery is an Ethiopian Orthodox church, located around five kilometres east of Adwa, in the Mehakelegnaw Zone of the northern Tigray Region in Ethiopia. Founded in the sixth century by one of the Nine Saints, Abba Garima and built by King Gabra Masqal (also Gebre Meskel), it became known for its early manuscript copy of the gospels and its treasury.
Oku people (Sierra Leone) The Oku people, also commonly known as Oku Mohammedans or "Aku Mohammedans"in Sierra Leone and as the "Aku Marabou" or "Oku Marabou" in the Gambia, are an ethnic group in Sierra Leone and the Gambia. The Oku people are the descendants of liberated Africans of Yoruba descent from Southwest Nigeria who were liberated or came to Sierra Leone as settlers in the mid 19th century and formed a distinctive ethnic group The Oku are virtually all Muslims and are known for their conservative muslim population. The British colonial government provided official recognition to the Oku Mohammedan community as a distinctive community in Sierra Leone. Although the Sierra Leone government officially considered the Oku people as members of the Creole ethnic group, many Sierra Leoneans consider the Oku people as a distinctive ethnic group.