Missions & Global Prayer

Funerals are of great importance to the Jola-Felupe. They believe that the deceased will join their ancestors. It is very important to perform the correct funeral rites so that the soul will enter the presence of the creator, Ata Amit, and the ancestors. They believe in living a moral life, because if you live a bad life, your soul will become an exiled spirit that roams with no resting place. There is some Islamic influence among the Jola, but on a practical level, they are mostly animistic. They use charms and sacred objects to communicate with the spirit world, in hopes that the spirits will protect their families, villages, and crops. They also believe these spirits will protect them from converting to Islam or Christianity.