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The Balanta of Cabo Verde

The Balanta of Cabo Verde, numbering approximately 58,500 people, are No Longer Unreached. They are a diaspora language-variety subgroup of the Balanta of Guinea-Bissau associated with the Kentohe variety of Balanta. They mostly adhere to Roman Catholicism and Balanta-Kentohe is their primary language.

Photo by Google. (2026). Image generated by Gemini 2.5 Flash: Balanta

Fast Facts:

Affinity Group: Sub-Saharan African Peoples
Country: Cabo Verde
People Cluster: Atlantic
Primary Language(s): Balanta-Kentohe (ble)
Primary Religion(s): Roman Catholicism
Population: 58,500
Strategic Progress Index (SPI): No Longer Unreached
Global Status of Evangelical Christianity (GSEC): 5% or Greater but Less than 10% Evangelical
People Group ID: PG012819
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Pray for the Balanta of Cabo Verde

Join others around the world in praying for the lost to be saved, the gospel to advance, the global Church to grow, and for laborers to be sent out and sustained in the harvest.

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Dig Deeper (Religion):

Primary Religion: Roman Catholicism
Religious Affiliation: Christianity

96%
%
Roman Catholicism Adherents

Dig Deeper (Language):

Primary Language: Balanta-Kentohe
Language Family: Atlantic-Congo

100%
%
Balanta Speakers

Media Resources in Balanta-Kentohe:

Films:
TitleLink
JESUSView Film
JESUSView Film

2 films

Provided by the Jesus Film Project

View all resources

Bible Resources in Balanta-Kentohe:

No Bible resources are listed for this language.

Provided by Faith Comes by Hearing

Or check out the Balanta-Kentohe bible at Bible.com

Linked from YouVersion

View all resources

SPI: No longer Unreached

The Balanta are No Longer Unreached, which means there are more than 2% evangelical Christian populations and there are churches consistent with evangelical faith and practice. There is still more to be done among them.

Next steps for the Balanta:
Empower local believers to begin praying for their own people
Continue gospel seed sowing and church planting
Encourage local leaders to being leading church planting strategy and looking for Unreached and Unengaged groups nearby

Pray specifically for the Balanta of Cabo Verde

We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
readRomans 6:4

Pray that those who need to surrender their lives to Christ will confess their sins and trust in Him, being united with Him in His death and resurrection, walking in newness of life.

Whenever you enter a town and they receive you, eat what is set before you. Heal the sick in it and say to them, "the kingdom of God has come near to you."
readLuke 10:8-9

Pray that the lost will receive messengers of the gospel with joy, turn from their sins, and be healed.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
readPsalm 133:1

Pray that as people place their faith in Christ, they will be unified and love one another as God loves them.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
readPsalm 23:6

Ask God to raise up believers who will share the hope that, for those who trust in Christ, goodness and love will follow them all the days of their lives, and they will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Balanta, Kentohe Across Countries (ROP3 - 111208) reported in the following countries:

Strategic Progress Index
All

3 people groups

PhotoPeople Group IDNameCountryPopulation ▼Strategic Progress IndexLanguageReligion
BalantaPG013444BalantaGuinea-Bissau552,000Engaged yet UnreachedBalanta-KentoheAnimism
BalantaPG012819BalantaCabo Verde58,500No Longer UnreachedBalanta-KentoheRoman Catholicism
Bissau-GuineansPG047464Bissau-GuineansCanada90Engaged yet UnreachedBalanta-KentoheEthnoreligion

To download a comprehensive people group list in spreadsheet form, visit our Research Data page.

Peoplegroups.org relies on updates from the field and other organizations for much of our data, so if you have any updates, please contact us. We use various international naming standards. For a list of these standards and fields, visit our Data Standards section.

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