Kankan, Apostolic Prefecture of

KANKAN, APOSTOLIC PREFECTURE OF. - It was erected on 12 May 1949 with the eastern part of the apostolic vicariate of French Guinea, which on the same date had its name changed to apostolic vicariate of Konakry. It is entrusted to the Congregation of the Holy Spirit. Its erection was necessary because the vastness of the territory did not allow effective missionary action from the center of Konakry. In fact, the mountainous massif of Fouta-Djallon, entirely Islamized, made communications difficult between the new apostolic prefecture and the territory of the present apostolic vicariate of Konakry.

The apostolic prefecture of K. forms a homogeneous ethnographic complex resulting from elements of the "Mandingo" race with the Kissi and Tomaj subtribes. It has easy communications with the various missionary stations even during the rainy season. Its area is approximately 101,475 sq km, with 6 principal stations, 15 fathers, 2 brothers, 3 European sisters and 3 indigenous ones, with more than 100 catechists. The Christians number about 7,000; the catechumens exceed 5,000 out of a population of about 382,000, of whom more than 200,000 are animists.

Saverio Paventi