Already have a license? Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce The Christian Connector Scholarship. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Sign in to view the collection. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. 2 (1983): 116-143. The most momentous discovery in western Africa came in 1471, when Portuguese captains first reached the coast of modern Ghana between the mouths of the Ankobra and Volta rivers. English for life 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. 2018). Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. 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. better grades Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. A history of Christianity in Ghana. %PDF-1.7
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Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High 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. Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. The missionary and colonial education aimed at character training and civilization resulted in cultural annihilation and religious, and linguistic hegemony. We shall now turn our attention to the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. In traditionally monogamous societies, primary school completion increased by about eight percent, but only four percent in polygamous societies. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. In addition, the contributions of celebrity missionaries, such as Christian Schwartz, William Carey, Alexander Duff, and James . The story of the planting of Christianity in Nigeria would be incomplete without a mention of the Italian Roman Catholic priest, Father Berghero. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. wassce literature questions. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. New team members can be part of establishing a biblical foundation for the next generation of believers, the growth of nationally-led churches, and church planting in Ghana. They therefore set about to achieve this through introduction of formal education among the Batswana people. The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. 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. "Big things have small beginnings"; so is The Presbyterian Church of Ghana. (with Examples), Top 20 Topics in English for Academic Purposes, 7 Rules of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, 10 Importance of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, How to Get a Degree Without Going to High School, Joseph Rhodes Dunwell Methodist Missionary, 1835, Thomas Birch Freeman Methodist Missionary, 1838, Thomas Thompson Society for the Propagation of the Gospel/Anglican, 1752, Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast Methodist missionaries, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast Methodist, Adisadel College, Cape Coast Anglican Missionaries, Holy Child School, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, St Augustines College, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, Archbishop Potter Girls School, Takoradi, Aburi Girls Secondary School Presbyterian, St Monicas High School, Mampong Anglican. Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. It was also terribly hard for a woman to be driven away, and to lose her status in the society where she is respected as a wife and a mother. 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. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into writing. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. It was however in the coastal territories filled with mulattos and other European trading communities that Christianity won some of its early success. The European missionaries believed that European culture was superior to African culture. Schools were deemed important. The training college later became part of Achimota College. The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. How to Get Involved in Church Missions: The Ultimate Guide, 16 Causes of Crime Essay (with Solutions), Justify the Title of the Novel Second Class Citizen, The Role of Ghana in the Formation of the OAU, Economic Developments in Ghana Before Independence, 11 Causes of the Rise of Nationalism in Africa, Importance of the Odwira Festival in Ghana. Over time and with the dedication of teachers like Father Burke, the school rose to prominence. It is one of the oldest continuously published periodicals by and about Black people. Father Vincent Burke SVD, 83, recipient of Ghanas Officer of the Order of Volta Award, passed away at Techny, Ill., on Sept. 21. 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. The foreign exchange earnings helped to develop Ghanas infrastructure. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). It is interesting to note that this project is not a new concept. the role of administrators, chiefs and the missions; first attempts at agricultural and industrial training; girls' education and teacher training before 1850; some chief factors in educational expansion 1850-1900; government official policy in educational expansion 1850-1900; agricultural, industrial and vernacular training 1850-1900 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). Of the ten largest congregations for men, the Society of the Divine Word is the fastest growing over the past 50 years. In such asituation, provisions and other things had to be sent into the country not in large quantities as would have been desired by the missionaries. Debate Speech: Religion Has Failed Society, A Speech Outlining the Achievements and Problems of Your School, 7 Factors Accounting for the Shortage of Capital In West Africa, The Resurrection of Jesus According to Marks Gospel. Then lets begin straightaway. C.M.S. mock tests THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AND VERNACULAR LITERATURE; 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. Containing 9,566 pages belonging to 77 documents housed in 6 volumes As outlined in the short history entitled. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. . The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. Consequently, they couldnt do much to promote the cultivation of food crops like maize, cassava, cocoyam and plantain. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. In 1858 the Rev. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. 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. Arnold, 1986. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? Hope Waddell of the Church of Scotland had opened a school at Duke Town, Calabar. The first missionaries to come to Ghana were the Roman Catholic missionaries in the 15th century and the Anglican missionaries. Moreover, mission education formed a poor foundation for future educational conditions in the former colonies. The missionary impact on education would have far-reaching consequences, as their creation of a weak basis of education would slow down the political and educational development of many former colonies in Africa. 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. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. To their minds, Africans were too backward and needed help to become more civilized. This chapter traces the origins and long-term development of African mass education in colonial sub-Saharan Africa. The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a scholarly refereed journal, was founded at Howard University in 1932. Because of rivalry, instead of building one common, multi-denominational school in a village that really only needed the one school, missionaries each built a school for their particular denomination and competed for students (Berman 1974:533). These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. Lewis, Donald M., ed. On the opposite side, the coming of the Christian missionaries brought in its wake certain negative developments like disregard for African culture and rebellion against traditional authority. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. 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. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. 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. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropon on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. independent learning They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. It is important for several reasons. T. Nelson. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. He told me that that amount of money could pay for school fees for five students in secondary school in Ghana.. The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. 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. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. *You can also browse our support articles here >. Rev. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. Kalu, Ogbu. The education and skill development of the people is the highest, most potent agent of national development that the Church imparts to its output of students, scholars, and professionals who perform various precious roles in the various sectors of the national economy for national development,' he stated. Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. 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. In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. They were to spread the message of the Gospel, render social services to the people and to assist in the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. 2236624), The beginning of Africanisation : the dawn of the missionary motive in Gold Coast education, Early colonial and missionary records from West Africa, West Indies material in the archives of the USPG, 1710-1950. In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. 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. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. 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These missionary societies laid the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church in West Africa, which lasted through to the independence period when African clergy replaced the white pastors. 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. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Christian Missionaries. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. History of the church in Africa: a survey. Wm. student life hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king, Otumfour Nana Kweku Duah I who reigned between 25th August 1834 to 27th April 1867).