Unsurprisingly, the level of education increased as one moved closer to the missionaries. These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. 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. During the first half of the 19th century they targeted healthier places, with relatively lower malaria-risk, where European missionaries could survive and train local African missionaries and teachers (Jedwab et al. The struggle over polygamy is well-known to historians and anthropologists. Their economic activities went beyond the development of agriculture. Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. Series CLS. Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. 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. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. The colonial Eritrean government ensured that native Eritreans received poor education by permitting them to only attend school up to the fourth grade (Miran 2002:127). The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. English grammar 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. For instance, the Basel Mission established the first teacher training college in Ghana. Missionaries were no doubt also aware that Africans came to associate European technological achievement with Western education (Bassey 1991:45) and therefore offered Western education as a means to attract Africans of this belief and then convert them. His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. 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. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. past questions Instead of adapting the teachings and practices of the new religion to suit indigenous values, as it did when the same Christian religion adopted Greek, Roman, German and Anglo-Saxon native practices, the early Christian missionaries condemned totally as pagan, and to be avoided by their converts, whatever they considered strange. All rights reserved. The Christian Connector is a great resource for Christians and aspiring ministry leaders and missionaries to apply for scholarships. Renewed evangelism started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. life skills This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. The Presbyterians, also, opened hospitals in several parts of the country, including the one at Agogo in Asante-Akyem. university courses I will earn a commission if you follow a link to purchase a product. In many instances, they made their converts rebel against traditional rulers and other spiritual leaders. This thesis discusses and assesses contribution of Christian Missionaries to education in Meru from 1908 to 1963. Thus missionaries, by imparting education that promoted dependence on colonial rule, arguably contributed to the political instability that continues in the present day in many former African colonies, such as Kenya and Eritrea. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. Ghana continued to call. grammatical name Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the peoples heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices. First, missions saw education foremost as a means of conversion (Ayandele 1966: 286; Bassey 1991: 36; Berman 1974:527; Foster 1965:85; Sheffield 1973:11). Of the ten largest congregations for men, the Society of the Divine Word is the fastest growing over the past 50 years. They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. Alignment is the degree of congruence between your teaching philosophy and your institution's mission. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. They therefore set about to achieve this through introduction of formal education among the Batswana people. 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. The result is that today, many Africans are alienated from their authentic ways of life. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. The city of Akuropong capital of the Akan state of Akuapem in Ghana, has known the Christian presence during the last 186 years, initially centered on the Basel Mission, then on the Free Church of Scotland, and now on the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. The governor had observed the bad moral life of the Europeans in the fort. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. This item is part of a JSTOR Collection. 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. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. The Christian religion teaches the doctrine of one supreme God and is opposed to the worship of any other forms of deity. For more than a year, Ghanaian Saints continued to practice their faith in their homes. (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. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . Hildebrandt, Jonathan. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. A new era began with the settlements of Black Christians from Nova Scotia in Sierra Leone in 1787 and the missionary advance inland from Cape Town beginning with the arrival there of J. T. van der Kemp in 1799. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. However, attending mission schools also meant exposure to colonial indoctrination. The Christian Connector Scholarship. 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. Your email address will not be published. The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. . He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. skills for his or her future role in the society (Hetherington, 1979; Davidoff, 1980; Aboagye, 1997). 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. The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a refereed scholarly periodical, was founded at Howard University in 1932 to fill the need for a scholarly journal that would identify and define the problems that characterized the education of Black people in the United States and elsewhere, provide a forum for analysis and solutions, and serve as a vehicle for sharing statistics and research on a national basis. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. Series CLR. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. 26. Africa and the Winder World 3. Ghana Education Service seeks to create an enabling environment in all educational institutions and management positions that will facilitate effective teaching and learning and efficiency in the management for the attainment of the goals of the Service. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. crs questions and anwers They also introduced vocational education in the country. In Ghana, for instance, they persuaded their converts to reject polygamy and human sacrifice. 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. A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. 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. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. 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. 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. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. Besides education, they cared for the sick. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. 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. They were replaced in Sierra Leone by the Holy Ghost Fathers in 1864, who made converts in large numbers not only among the pagans but also among the members of the then competing Christian churches. 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. Theres still so much to be learned from the history of education in Africa and its long-term consequences. 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. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. Other difficulties the early Christians faced were the problems of the many languages and dialects and their ignorance of the true meaning of the various cultures, beliefs, values and ways of life of the people whom they set out to convert to Christianity. The early European Christian missionaries in West Africa experienced a number of difficulties, some arising from factors outside their control and others of their own making. It is important for several reasons. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. A notable example was the Asafo Company, a purely military and social organisation of the peoples of Ghana, which was condemned by the early missionaries because of its presumed connection with fetish practices. It happens that some people convert at the end of their life in order to be buried in the prestigious Presbyterian cemetery. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. 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. Was this information useful? With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. 1 (1971): 103-115. The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. 2018). 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). By using postcolonial theory as a framework for analysis, it is evident that the Western formal education introduced to the people of the Gold Coast by the Christian missionaries and the British Colonial government did not serve the indigenous population well. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. Therefore, considering that the impact of mission education continues to have serious repercussions today, one must question whether the First World should continue to interfere in African education. Volunteers and donors to organizations such as Compassion Canada believe that they are being humanitarian when they build schools in Africa, volunteer as teachers or help in other ways to improve the quality of education in African nations, yet missionaries and colonial governments were similarly lauded as performing a great work of humanity (Beck 1966:117) and likewise believed that they were helping their African pupils. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. It is important to emphasize that the modern history of the Christian Mission in Africa started from the late Eighteenth Century, the Catholics had been there earlier in the first centuries of the Christian era especially during the first Portuguese adventures. In the later 19th century, the immense African interior remained the principal object of the Catholic Priests, and from 1867 until his death in November 1892 Cardinal Lavigerie planned the planting of churches in Africa South of the Sahara. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. In 2011 at age 77, he retired from teaching and returned to the United States. English His request to the Danish Crown for missionaries was forwarded to . Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. A member of the CMS, Henry Venn, boasted that the mission schools of Nigeria would produce an educated African elite that could form an intelligent and influential class of society and become the founders of a Kingdom which shall render incalculable benefits to Africa (Venn cited in Bassey 1991:37). government questions Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. 503 0 obj <> endobj Cookies are small, safe and secure text files that sit on your computer which we use to give you a better experience on our site and help us improve the service that we provide to you. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. Often drumming and the harmless songs and dances of the people were condemned. This was around the same time that the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of Ghana. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Longman Publishing Group, 1980. senior high school English For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. faceless characters The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. %PDF-1.7 % There were no Bibles in local languages, likewise grammar books were scant, so the missionaries had to spend time learning local languages, and translated the Bible and wrote series of grammar books. Again, the Wesleyan missionaries established Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast in 1876. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce Lewis, Donald M., ed. Among these were the Congregation of the Holy Ghost (commonly known as the Holy Ghost Father), the Society of African Missions (SMA), the Society of Missionaries of Africa, popularly known as the White Fathers because of the white Muslim-like clothing which the Fathers wore, and the society of the Divine Word (SVD, abbreviated from its Latin name). In the Western Region, the Catholic Sisters running a hospital at Eikwe specialized in maternity cases, and like Slessor in Nigeria succeeded in stamping out the practice of killing twins at birth. Are you ready to discover the points for an essay on the contribution of the Christian mission to the social and economic development of Ghana? 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 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. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. 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. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. 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. 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. WhatsApp : +233204700052 The constant tensions between traditionalists and Christian converts often erupted into all-out conflicts. Next, branches of the C.M.S. Mr. Henry Kwadwo Amoako is a Ghanaian Social Scientist, Researcher and Acclaimed Historian for over two decades. We were expected to accept the European language as the superior one, and this was reinforced throughout my school career (Abu cited in Berman 1974:536). Reiterating what teacher education must encapsulate, Adegoke (2003) and Benneh (2006) indi-cated that the mission of Ghana's teacher education is to pro- Porter, Andrew. As Ayandele points out (1966:285), the ideal of many of the missions was to make their converts live literally as the unlearned and ignorant apostles of old. This ideal, combined with the fact that many missionaries discovered that Africans with only basic education were best at spreading the Gospel, meant that missionaries were reluctant to provide higher primary or secondary education (Ayandele 1966:286). African Drama It offered the most direct path towards prestigious jobs in colonial administrations and European enterprises. These commercial activities, therefore, made an important contribution to the economic development of Ghana. Who is Mrs. Konrad in Second Class Citizen? House, 1967. African poetry Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. In 1845 the C.M.S. In spite of all this, with the advent of the First World War in 1914 in the Kwaku District there were 21 congregations with a total of over 2500 members. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. Joseph Dunwell. The History of Christianity in West Africa. Kalu, Ogbu. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. Johannes Zimmermann, for example, produced a Ga dictionary, Ga bible and grammar book. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. Already have a license? homework help Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. Through academic lessons and lessons on Western etiquette and hygiene, mission students were isolated from their traditional cultures, a traumatic experience that would continue to trouble many students for the rest of their lives. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. 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. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. Literature churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. 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. 3 (2002): 555-584. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone.
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