hbbd```b``vd d"e ] DrI`5 d"(/ For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Private Study Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. Notable among these were cocoa and coffee. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. Introduction, spread and effects, 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa, 7: Scramble for and Partition of West Africa, 9: Problems of Independent West African States, 10: West Africa and International Organizations, 11: Women and Authority in West African History, 12: The Environment in West African History. From the second half of the eighteenth century, a fervent wave of evangelical spirit developed in the United Kingdom, Europe and the New World which inspired men and women with the missionary fervour to found religious societies whose members would go out to Africa and the other lands. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. The reservation of high-level positions in the colonial administrations for Europeans and the corresponding mission education that provided education fit only for lower positions meant that the withdrawal of European rule could cause serious political instability in the newly independent colonies. The first Europeans arrived at the West-African Coasts at the end of the fifteenth century. Now, with the burgeoning Cocoa industry, the expansion of commercial activity, the development of gold mines and the building of roads and railways disturbed the traditional lifestyle. Human Zoos: Untold History of Suppression, The Legend of King Ulu (Ancient Thai Folklore), The Kingdom of Saud of The Arabs (Saudi Arabia), The Wesley Brothers of Oxford University (1700s), Razia Sultan of Medieval India (786 Years Ago), The Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade (The Revelation), Education in Africa: The Impact of Colonialism, Why The Legendary Geneva Bible was Banned. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. Waterville Pub. 1. People all around the world are searching for hope, but many dont have someone to tell them about the hope found in Jesus. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into writing. 2006 - 2023 Microform Academic Publishers | Microform Academic Publishers is a division of Microform Imaging Limited (Company registered in England no. From 1870 to 1914 the Basel Mission succeeded in extending its work from the Akwapim Ridge to Kwahu, Akim and Asante and across the Volta as far as Yendi the north in 1913. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. Your email address will not be published. Hildebrandt, Jonathan. (As at December 2020). Finally, education affects many other aspects of peoples lives, including economic opportunities and political attitudes. A short history of education in British West Africa. As founder and director at CEGAST, he has successfully coached thousands of students in English, Literature, and related subjects for major international examinations. Teaching in the vernacular had an additional use as it further strengthened colonial rule, of which missionaries were often agents, for as the Kikuyu people of Kenya were aware, [the] inability to communicate in English would be a crucial factor in the perpetuation of their subordinate status in the colony (Berman 1974:531). The struggle over polygamy is well-known to historians and anthropologists. As Sir Henry Johnston, a key figure in the Scramble for Africa says, they [the mission stations] strengthen our hold over the country, they spread the use of the English language, they induct natives into the best kind of civilization, and in fact, each mission station is an essay in colonization (Johnston cited in Sheffield 1973:10). He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. However, the motivation behind teaching Africans basic literacy and mathematics might not have been a cause for concern if not for the fact that the religious motivation curtailed education. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. A.G. Frazer, did much to encourage the promotion of indigenous culture, but by and large the colonial authorities contributed to dwindling a good deal of our cultural heritage. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. Africa Christian Press, 1996. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. Agricultural school graduates did not compete with European industries or European farmers, as they mainly grew crops that could not be grown in European climates. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. However, accustomed to monogamy, few European missionaries were open to such arguments. The traditions and values of the community, as well as the meaning of life, were taught to the child. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Father Burke can be made for the care of elderly and infirm missionaries and sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Road, P.O. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Another valuable contribution of the Christian missionaries in West Africa was the development of literature in the local vernaculars, this included the translation of the Bible into some of the important local languages. This company promoted the import and export trade in Ghana. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. Hastings, Adrian. The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. This special relationship continued until 1960 when Fourah Bay became a college of the newly reconstituted University of Sierra Leone; the other constituent college located at Njala developed from a training college founded in 1920. Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. After six years at St. Peters, Father Burke was named chaplain and professor of English literature at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Osu, Ghana. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. Governments are also not free from blame even if they had a laissez-faire educational policy, as in Ghana, where until 1944 the registration of schools was not required and no attempt was made to exert detailed control even over the activities of grant-aided [by the government] institutions except for a series of minimal registrations (Foster 1965:114). Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of UKEssays.com. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. Some of these effects are still with us today. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language and translated the entire Bible and a Bible history into Ga. Then in 1874, the Rev. famous poems It is possible to hear the tune of this missionary hymn. ABWE first began work in Ghana with a goal to reach unchurched Ghanaians in the Volta Region with the gospel and then to expand evangelism efforts to other parts of the country. The mission schools trained Africans to be able to work as translators, messengers and office clerks for the colonial government. Request Permissions. 'In view of this idea, Mmofraturo, the first girls boarding school in Ashanti was officially . To export a reference to this article please select a referencing stye below: If you are the original writer of this essay and no longer wish to have your work published on UKEssays.com then please: Our academic writing and marking services can help you! past questions ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. Later that year, in recognition of his service to the Ghanaian people, President John Dramani Mahama bestowed the honor of Officer of the Order of Volta upon him. 1 (1971): 103-115. Both the academic and vocational forms of education the missions provided served to strengthen the rule of the colonial powers, so that the native inhabitants were second-class citizens in their own land. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. These new movements considered such ventures to be their contribution to Europes reparation for centuries of exploitation of Africans, reparation for the centuries of exploitation which the Trans Atlantic slave trade had caused to African society. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. In this respect the Christian religion therefore differed from the traditional religions of West Africa, which along with an acceptance of one Supreme Being worshipped a hierarchy of gods. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. Required fields are marked *. Joseph Dunwell. This made it difficult for the early missionaries to stay in the country for long. Amidst much honest missionary activity in the country for two centuries, prosperity gospel teachers have also gained influence, and numerous indigenous cults have arisen with distinct appeal and just enough truth to create confusion and syncretism. S.J. Even when governments discouraged domestic industries, graduates of vocational schools contributed to the economy of the colonies -and therefore indirectly the mother countrys as well. More women than men attend church, and the more strict churchgoers tend to be wealthier and of higher social status than less churchgoers or non-Presbyterians. Vol. The Scottish Missionary Society had been working in Calabar, Nigeria, also a British colony adjacent to the Gold Coast and it was from the Calabar Presbyterian Church in Nigeria that a missionary was sent to take charge of the Presbyterian work in the Gold Coast after the deportations. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. Apart from giving to the converts a new religious faith which they consider is superior to the traditional religions, the Christian missionaries did pioneering work in introducing new crafts, industries, Western education and modern health services. However, by the turn of the Nineteenth Century there was systematic efforts by churches of Christian Europe, namely: Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists who were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up missions in Ghana, Gambia, and Dahomey. For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. He knew me as a boy [in Ghana] who washed his car and went with him when he said Mass at mission stations, yet [as an adult] he treated me as an equal, Father Tetteh said. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. Father Vincent Burke SVD, 83, recipient of Ghanas Officer of the Order of Volta Award, passed away at Techny, Ill., on Sept. 21. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. In fact, Jacobus Capitein, a former Ghanaian slave who became a priest in the Dutch Reformed Church in the 18th century was on record to have defended the practice of slavery. The Christian Connector is a great resource for Christians and aspiring ministry leaders and missionaries to apply for scholarships. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. However, the discovery of quinine and other curative medicines in the late 19th century made the history of the missionary work in West Africa a different thing altogether. Perhaps the greatest service of the missionaries was the promotion of western education and the development of vernacular literature. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. And yet this was what earlier missionaries in pagan Europe had done when, for example, they had changed the Sabbath to suit the pagan Sun Day (hence Sunday), and had also adopted the dates of the pagan festivals to celebrate Christmas Day and the Easter festival. The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. This post may contain affiliate links. Even if secondary education was provided, it was often reserved for the sons of local chiefs (Oliver 1952:212; Beck 1966: 120), an elite the colonial government could then call upon to help rule the colony, a common practice in colonial Africa. Prior to advent of the Christian missionaries and indeed well into the pre-independence period, most sick people depended for cure upon concoction herbs and roots and barks of trees. In Sierra Leone, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), offshoot of the Anglican Church, was the first to become firmly established chiefly among the freed captive and freed slave settlers from Britain, Nova Scotia and other parts of the New World. This research was funded by the European Research Council. He also blogs at BloggingtotheMax.com. self help Initially,. began work in many parts of Africa. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. John G. Christaller (described as the Father of Twi Literature) produced a Twi grammar and dictionary, a collection of Twi proverbs, a Twi translation of the Bible as well as prayers and hymns.

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