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Textbooks were heavily biased towards western ideas and values. A history of Christianity in Ghana. Sign in to view the collection. 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. 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. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. A second reason for the poor education of the mission schools was that in many cases the teachers in mission schools were unqualified as teachers, but were instead preachers by training. The practice of inflicting multiple wounds on the bodies of so-called spirit babies now belongs to history. 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. which were for females (Graham, 1971). Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. No plagiarism, guaranteed! Series CLR. 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. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 senior high school English The impact of Christianity on West African society has persisted to this day. Perhaps the greatest service of the missionaries was the promotion of western education and the development of vernacular literature. This allowed me to estimate the impact of mission schooling directly. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. Hastings, Adrian. Father Burke, whose students included Father Tetteh and Archbishop Charles Palmer-Buckle of Accra, arrived in Ghana, West Africa, in 1963, only four years after the country gained independence from Great Britain. They constitute the benefits that the missionaries brought to Africa as a whole. Request Permissions. The Basel missionaries arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1828 and Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. English comprehension Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. This research was funded by the European Research Council. 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. 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! The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. grammatical name This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. Discipleship and leadership development are needed in order to support local churches and their growth in Ghana. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce Besides being an online tutor, Ralph is an author and expert digital marketer with proven skills in SEO content writing. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. Thank you! Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. History of the church in Africa: a survey. 26. Copyright 2023 ABWE. . 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). Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? The agricultural schools the missions ran would have been even more advantageous to the colonial governments considering the discouragement of local industries that might have competed with the motherland. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. Prior to the advent of western education, Ghana's traditional social structures had inbuilt opportunities for mobility. endstream endobj startxref 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. Government & Politics In many instances, they made their converts rebel against traditional rulers and other spiritual leaders. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. For the West Africans, the acceptance of Christianity meant the total rejection of most of the cherished institutions upon which their society rested. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi And Benjamin Kye Ampadu, Ajayi, J..F.A and Michael Crowder History of West Africa. 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. Mission Statement 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. Among other missionary hospitals of long standing and reputation are those run by the Methodists at Wenkyi in the Brong-Ahafo Region, and by the Seventh Day Adventists at Kwahu Atibie in the Eastern Region. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Europe in those days looked upon Africa as the Dark Continent with very primitive civilizations, and most Europeans refused to adapt their religion to suit the local situation. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. 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). As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. After an unsuccessful beginning by the society of African Missions (SMA), this missionary body moved into other territories in what is now Liberia, Ghana and Nigeria. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. This chapter traces the origins and long-term development of African mass education in colonial sub-Saharan Africa. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. Thank you for supporting this project. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. The next major Christian missionaries to go out to Sierra Leone were the Roman Catholics. 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. 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. For instance, in Nigeria in 2006, approximately only 51.2% of primary school teachers of either gender were trained as teachers, and the enrolment rate in primary education for both genders in 2000 stood at about 62.7%, compared to 99.5% in Canada (UN Data 2010). A short history of education in British West Africa. 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. Brief History. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. 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. 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). All rights reserved. Efforts to change these norms were often aimed at women. Father Burke became director of the Divine Word Language and Cultural Centre in Ghana. 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. Being ignorant of ones history causes one to lose part of ones identity and pride in that identity, and one is therefore more vulnerable to attacks denouncing ones culture as inferior, especially if at the same time one is being taught the noble history of another culture. Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. Indeed, in some situations the converts were taught to feel that they were absolved from obeying their own traditional rulers and certain laws of the state. The Akim area had about 3400 converts over 32 villages and there were about 900 children distributed in 27 Schools. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem in 1835, the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. Some of these new crops were grapes coffee, mango, ginger, and olives. The country has diverse geography, people groups, and languageswith English as the common language, and more than 11 others with state recognition. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. 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. During this period, difficulties encountered were different from the initial difficulties which will more related to sickness, deaths and the suspicion of indigenous people in accepting the Gospel. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. Indeed, the quality of the education could be so poor that the colonial governments complained, as in the case of the Nigerian government, which complained that the secondary school graduates provided by the missions were illiterate and ignorant and therefore poorly suited to fill the lower levels of the administration (Ayandele 1966:294-5). Nevertheless, the first higher institution in Ghana, now the Presbyterian Training College at Akuapem Akropon, was established in 1848, first as a centre for training catechists, and later to train teachers as well as ministers of the Presbyterian Church. 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. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Porter, Andrew. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). 1 (1971): 103-115. Find below a list of mission schools that still exist in Ghana today. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! 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. Study for free with our range of university lectures! Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. 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. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. This hymn sums up the reasons why the Christian missionaries came to Africa and other parts of the world. Daystar Press, 1978. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. The missionaries believed that in order to stabilize the faith of converts and to assist in character development, it was necessary that they should be able to read the scriptures or other books of religious instruction, translated by the missions. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. mock tests They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. past questions 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. For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. senior high school crs Despite their significant contributions to education, local language development, agriculture and the economy as a whole, the missionaries have been criticized severally. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . It also talks about all the mission societies from all denominations engaged in educational works. Rather, it denationalized and facilitated the indignity and loss of cultural identity of the Ghanaian. Mobility depended on the . Economics As a mission school graduate noted, local history was almost totally ignored. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. This thesis discusses and assesses contribution of Christian Missionaries to education in Meru from 1908 to 1963. The governor had observed the bad moral life of the Europeans in the fort. Required fields are marked *. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. Email: henrydonsco@gmail.com opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France. These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. 1931. The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. others adopted a system of education varied from one and the other hence, lacking consistency in the educational sector [3]. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. Thus, as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. (As at December 2020). homework help While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. It is important for several reasons. English grammar The effects of work done by Bishop Ajayi Crowther, assisted by the Igbo recaptive the Rev. DISCLOSURE. government questions For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. Seeing as missions in the British and Italian colonies had monopolies on education for the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, this reluctance meant that there were few secondary schools at all (Ayandele 1966:287; Beck 1966: 120). Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. The Roman Catholic Sisters provided medical care in the Upper and Northern Regions of the country before the government started to provide hospitals and clinics in the regional and district headquarters. Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. 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. As we help existing churches become healthy through theological education, discipleship, pastoral training, and leadership development, we desire to see church-planting efforts within the local church soon follow. 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. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. 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. Initially, their activities focused on coastal areas. Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) 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. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. The people received the message with indifference. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. T. Nelson. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. Waterville Pub. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. senior high school history I will earn a commission if you follow a link to purchase a product. We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Furthermore, they were skilled farmers that could grow cash crops to be consumed back in the mother country, such as cocoa from Ghana (Foster 1965: 153). Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. Literature They need YOU. Christian Religious Studies The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. The constant tensions between traditionalists and Christian converts often erupted into all-out conflicts. 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. The high temperatures coupled with high rainfall patterns in some parts of the country experienced during the daytime, made the missionaries stay indoors, which slowed down their activities. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . C.M.S. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. 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. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? independent learning His request to the Danish Crown for missionaries was forwarded to . Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. Frank Ogodo Ogbeche ABWE is also at work in countries that restrict evangelism. Father Burke was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. 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. The quest for an all-inclusive development model of Ghana and other developing nations, therefore, calls for an insight into the role and responsibilities of religion toward education. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. Vol. 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). 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. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. 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. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. Moreover, the Islamic religion was also being introduced to the southern section of the country by Muslim immigrants from the north of the colony. That there are parallels between contemporary Christian organizations efforts and the missionary efforts of the mid-nineteenth to mid- twentieth centuries is a reason for concern, considering the similar impact of missionaries of all Christian denominations on the education of Africans in the British and Italian colonies in Africa. West Africa and Christianity. The others include the British and Foreign Bible Society in 1804, which was tasked with the responsibility of promoting the translation and printing of the Holy Bible. The Basel missionaries, in particular, established experimental farms and plantations in places like Akropong. Renewed evangelisation started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). 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. I have used my expertise to design and implement strategies for major projects including new programme development, global proposals, book launches, international talks, lectures, and executive . The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. Private Study 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. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. 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). The Committee for Women's Work was responsible for the education of native girls. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. Secondary Schools in the Protectorate started later, following the establishment of Bo Government Secondary School in 1906. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. 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. 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. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. Thus, despite what the images of suffering African children on websites such as that of Compassion Canada might lead one to believe, it is time for Africans to educate their own, without any interference. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. hb```,,g@( B(Pi xD r[e}v'$ImK *e()dP#jjTNl=VtN(%!30p0040tt0B GGc2m2@M``a$]x2\YkvIaB1b`h6f` (eAKPU d Although most people are Presbyterians, they can also go to spirit and other cults, mostly Christian and Pentecostal movements, to find cures for disease and lack of success in this world. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. Furthermore, mission schools discouraged traditional ways of life outside of the classroom.