The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. In addition to teaching, he served as national spiritual director of the Ghana Sacred Heart Enthronement Centre and spiritual director of the Accra Diocesan Sacred Heart Centre. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. A notable example, in Ghana, was the Methodist experimental farm near Cape Coast whose crops included cotton, coffee, black pepper, mango, ginger, cinnamon and olive trees. 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. Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. It started first among the Yoruba recaptives who had embraced the Christian faith while in Sierra Leone (freed from slave trading ships by the British Royal Naval Squadron), and who returned home between 1839 and 1845. Technical and vocational education had been emphasized in the education system in Ghana since the colonial era. When he arrived in Nkwatia-Kwahu to teach English at St. Peters Secondary School, the town had yet to benefit from electricity and running water. Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. Included on the website is information about the charitys programs, such as their Leadership Development Program in which participants earn a degree in their chosen field of study, and participate in Christian leadership training, enabling them to become a fully developed agent of change in their nation (Compassion Canada 2011). However the superficial motivations and ideologies have changed, at the most basic level both contemporary Northern charities and nineteenth century missionaries share the belief that the North must come and save the suffering natives, which in the case of the missionaries, has been proven to have inflicted more harm than provided relief. 1931. Mission societies often expanded into territories before colonial powers did, and providing education only cost them a little more. student life The anti-slavery issue and the humanitarian conscience also played a vital role in stimulating European interest in Africa and gave an impetus to mission work. Its message was that of love and the universal brotherhood of mankind. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. The country has diverse geography, people groups, and languageswith English as the common language, and more than 11 others with state recognition. In December 1868 he went with his wife and child to Anum in the present-day Volta Region of Ghana. In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. In short, the impact of teaching in the vernacular was more negative than positive, as it reinforced colonial rule and no doubt did very little to preserve native cultural identities, seeing as missionaries promoted European languages as superior and only used the vernacular because conversion and religious instruction were such high priorities. primarily purposed to outline the contributions of religion and education to national development in Ghana. The common response among traditionally polygamous people is well illustrated by a passage in Jomo Kenyattas famous book on the Gikuyu in colonial Kenya: This [the insistence on monogamy] caused a great confusion, for the African could not understand how he could drive away his wives and children, especially in a community where motherhood is looked upon as a religious duty; the children are regarded as part and parcel, not only of the father, but of the whole clan (mbari), and without them the mbari is lost. Therefore, whether through their rigid educational polices or lack thereof, colonial governments contributed to the poor education, though there is no denying that missionaries also contributed to the quality of education to a great extent. Brief History. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. In this essay on the impact of Christian missionary activities on Ghanaian society, we shall examine the role of the missionaries in the development of Ghana and the rest of Africa. Joseph Dunwell. The mission schools trained Africans to be able to work as translators, messengers and office clerks for the colonial government. Schools were deemed important. It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West Africa. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. Under the Basel Missions Salem system, converts were separated from the traditional society. It also plays an important role in organization of inheritances within matrilineal houses and thus exerts influence from a legal point of view. For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. Let's look in-depth into these scholarships. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Please read our privacy policy to find out more. The government gave grants according to the strength of the staff and the efficiency of the school judged by inspection reports and the results of public examinations. The vast majority of the people of The Gambia are Moslems; but a sizeable percentage of the population, especially in and around the capital Banjul, are Christians. In an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. This decreased the zeal with which people began to accept the Gospel leading to nominal Christianity. Of the ten largest congregations for men, the Society of the Divine Word is the fastest growing over the past 50 years. 503 0 obj <> endobj For instance, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. Father Tetteh also took note of Father Burkes humility and devotion to his students. Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. cited in Miran 2002:128). document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. He professed vows in 1953 in Conesus, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at Techny, Ill. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. S.J. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. But with the abolition of slavery, the introduction of cocoa, and the Churchs efficient school system, she gradually became the Church of the social elite. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? To put it differently, the motive was to gain acceptance in the sight of God so that after death they would be judged kindly by the heavenly father. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem 1835 the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. Joseph Dunwell. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. life skills His immigrant Irish-born parents instilled faith and a firm work ethic in their sons. The contents of this tutorial will serve as a guide for a suitable essay on the below WAEC/WASSCE History past question. (As at December 2020). In 1845 the C.M.S. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. Was this information useful? Upon completing his degree, Father Burke received his first assignment abroad: Ghana, the first Black sub-Saharan country in Africa to gain independence from a colonial power. A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. Wm. Mission schools provided a steady stream of educated Africans capable of filling the lower levels of the colonial administration and operated vocational and agricultural schools (Ayandele 1966: 295; Foster 1965: 90-91; Sheffield 1973: 10-11). And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. Looking for a flexible role? From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. Just look at the lyrics of this evangelizing song written in 1819 by Reginald Heber, a prolific English hymnist in the Anglican church. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. 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. Required fields are marked *. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. The Akim area had about 3400 converts over 32 villages and there were about 900 children distributed in 27 Schools. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Two important private schools with strong Christian influence must also be mentioned: Accra High School, founded in 1923 and Accra Academy, established in There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. At the end of the eighteenth century, the Evangelical Revival began to bring to Africa an influx of missionaries whose laoburs would produce the first fruits of an enduring Christian presence in Sub-Sahara Africa. It is possible to hear the tune of this missionary hymn. After more than 20 years at Pope John XXIII School, he returned to the United States and served as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd in Trenton, N.J., where he lived with Father Tetteh. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. faceless characters Senior High School Literature For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. The weakening of traditional societies was not simply a consequence of the efforts of missionaries but one of their main objectives, stemming from their belief in the civilizing mission. Supporters of the civilizing mission believed that European colonial enterprises were justified as the Europeans were imparting their superior Western culture and ideas to the ignorant heathens of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. The First Missionaries were sent as a result of a request by Major de Richelieu, Governor of Christiansborg. 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. The academic education purposely did not train Africans for the higher level positions of colonial administrations, which were mostly reserved for Europeans (Ayandele 1966:295; Sheffield 1973:42), a practise which created dependency on the colonizers, as without them the colony did not have qualified administrators. self help He was very simple in dress and in the use of modern technology, Father Tetteh said. 522 0 obj <>stream Over time and with the dedication of teachers like Father Burke, the school rose to prominence. 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. 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. Although it can be said that Christian missionaries benefitted Africans by bringing in the more advanced Western education to the European colonies in Africa, it is believed that the mission schools in fact had a negative impact on the native peoples. English for life Economics which were for females (Graham, 1971). 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. 1 (1971): 103-115. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. The people received the message with indifference. His request to the Danish Crown for missionaries was forwarded to . Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. Frank Ogodo Ogbeche Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. The work of the Basel Missionary Society was taken over with the consent of the Basel Mission Home Board by the United Free Church of Scotland whose ecclesiastical organization was Presbyterian. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. Learn how your comment data is processed. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. They also introduced vocational education in the country. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. Africa and the Winder World 3. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. The Portuguese were the first to introduce the Christian faith into West Africa but following their departure from the West Coast in the mid-seventeenth century, the Christian religion survived only in Upper Guinea where a bishop was maintained in the Cape Verde Islands serving also a part of the mainland. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. The early Christian missions concentrated their activities not only on religious matters. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. In addition to promoting a monogamous lifestyle in their schools, missionaries often insisted on divorces before polygamists or their children could even enrol. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. 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! And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. Burns & Oates, 1979. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'cegastacademy_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_15',609,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-cegastacademy_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');The European missionaries began their activities in Ghana as far back as the early fifteenth century. 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. Find below a list of mission schools that still exist in Ghana today. further studies While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. Instead of needing to import skilled workers such as carpenters, the mission schools provided colonial governments with workers capable of building and maintaining the colonys infrastructure and basic technology, a contribution that kept the colonies running smoothly. African Drama Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. Father Jean Marie Coquard, operating in and from Abeokuta for forty years, was renowned among the Egba as a priest and surgeon in the second half of the nineteenth century. Another reason why the Europeans came to spread the Christian religion in Ghana was to pave their own way into eternal glory. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. 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. Baker Pub Group, 1996. A history of Christianity in Africa: From antiquity to the present. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. Furthermore, mission schools discouraged traditional ways of life outside of the classroom. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. In 2006, Father Burke was appointed lecturer at the newly founded Catholic University College of Ghana in Sunyani. Contribution of Christian Missionaries in Ghana, Reasons Why Christian Missionaries Came to Africa, Discontinuation of Outmoded Cultural Practices, Negative Effects of Missionary Activities, Negative Impact on Traditional Authorities, Limited Support for The Production of Local Food Crops. 2 (1983): 116-143. By 1885, the church had spread further inland, thanks to Father Joseph Lutz who started work around Onitsha in 1886 and spread the gospel in many parts of the present day Imo and Anambra States. Porter, Andrew. In line with this, formal education in Ghana was started by the western traders and the missionaries by the 15th century through the 18th century respectively. The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a scholarly refereed journal, was founded at Howard University in 1932. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Groundless fears that the converts would become contaminated with paganism led some of the Christian missionaries, notably the Presbyterians, to separate the Christians from the rest of the township. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. Again, in West-Africa, the efforts to go beyond the coast to reach those inland with the gospel coincided with the southwards expansion of Islam which posed some threat to the expansion of the work of Christian evangelizing missions. As happened in Ghana, the development of training colleges in Nigeria was slower than secondary schools, though the C. M. S. had opened the first training college at Abeokuta as far back as 1849. By February 2, 1918, all Basel missionaries had been deported from the Gold Coast. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. 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. As one Eritrean student remarks, Our sisters [the Italian Sisters] would have undoubtedly taught better and more, but the Italian government in the colony did not permit Eritreans to get good instruction (T.T. Other Roman Catholic hospitals were built in all the nine regions of the country; including those at Asikuma and Foso (Central Region), Akyem Swedru (Eastern Region), Berekum (BrongAhafo), Maase (Asante Region) and Anfoega (Volta Region). Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. The European missionaries engaged in trading and other commercial activities as well. The Committee for Women's Work was responsible for the education of native girls. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. The training college later became part of Achimota College. Missionaries continued to be the main providers of education even after colonial powers established control during the so-called Scramble for Africa which occurred between 1884-1914. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. They worked to write the bible, dictionaries and textbooks in such Ghanaian Languages as Ewe, Fanti, Ga and Twi. The European Christian missions preached the Gospel, built churches, and seminaries translated the Bible to Ghanaian Languages such as Ewe, Ga, and Twi. This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). While colonial administration in colonies such as Kenya attempted to some degree to provide training for Kenyans to fill the high-level positions (Sheffield 1973:86), the attempts in many cases fell short, and when the European administration left, Kenya, for instance, had few sufficiently educated replacements (Sheffield 1973:88). It also talks about all the mission societies from all denominations engaged in educational works. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 Discipleship and leadership development are needed in order to support local churches and their growth in Ghana. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. Amma Darko Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. It is much easier to interact on an equal basis or even challenge the authority of another group when one is able to communicate in that groups language, instead of having to rely on an interpreter or non-verbal gestures, which undermine ones ability to show authority or express ones beliefs. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. Founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen, we number more than 6,000 missionaries. In addition, the contributions of celebrity missionaries, such as Christian Schwartz, William Carey, Alexander Duff, and James . Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. Required fields are marked *. Last, missionaries provided a very poor education, causing their students to be ill-equipped for social or material success, as they believed education to simply be a means for proselytization, were unqualified teachers, and allowed inter-denominational rivalries to interfere. Their economic activities went beyond the development of agriculture. Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. 26. CUP Archive, 1979. Besides education, they cared for the sick. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. Clarke, Peter Bernard. They need YOU. The effort of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. mock tests I found that while educational outcomes are generally better in places that were exposed to Christian missions in the colonial era, traditionally polygamous societies benefited less. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. This was because all the ships that came to the coast at that time were owned by trading firms and companies whose interest were basically on trade. According to the Head of the Methodist Church in Ghana, Mmofraturo was established in Kumasi, 'when it dawned on the early Wesleyan Missionaries that when the girl child was educated, she could grow up to face the challenges of the fast-changing world. This study simply offers systematic, long-term evidence of it. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. To supplement these missionary efforts in the field of higher education, the government opened its own secondary school in Lagos in 1909, this was Kings College.
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