Kalu, Ogbu. The Society for the Propagation of the Gospel in Foreign Parts, the Moravian Mission, the Mission of Bremen, the Methodists, and Roman Catholic missionaries all established themselves on the Gold Coast (Ghana) between 1820 and 1881, opening elementary schools for boys and girls . Burns & Oates, 1979. Father Burke was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. Learn how your comment data is processed. Daystar Press, 1978. It is interesting to note that this project is not a new concept. 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. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. 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. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. 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. 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. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. 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. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. It is obvious that the main reason why the missionaries came to Ghana was to convert the indigenous people to the Christian faith. Etherington, Norman. Christian Missionaries. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? Many Ghanaian communities got divided along religious lines. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. This box contains: the correspondence of Bishop See thematic groupings of our digital collections, See all of our digital collections in one place, Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951, Copies of letters received, 1890-1927; West Africa, vol. The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. faceless characters By the close of the nineteenth century the major Christian missionary churches had opened elementary schools in many part of southern Nigeria with an enrolment of about 74,000 by the First World War. Thank you! Also, the traditional doctors more often than not could not diagnose illness accurately. In regions where a denomination felt threatened by another denomination, the denominations were more likely to establish more schools in an attempt to gain more converts than their rival, while in regions such as northern Nigeria, where colonial policy prevented too much rivalry, schools were scarce (Bassey 1991:45). In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. 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. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. . These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. Samuel Adu-Gyamfi And Benjamin Kye Ampadu, Ajayi, J..F.A and Michael Crowder History of West Africa. 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). Brief History. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. The school, which was established the year of independence in 1957, was a work in progress. 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. 0 As happened in other colonial territories, the government did not show great interest in the provision of education in Ghana until the missionaries had extended their services throughout the country and had set up primary schools and a few secondary schools and training colleges. The missionaries seemed to have concentrated much of their effort on the production of export crops. essay writing In 1954, he became the first Deaf African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University, the American university for the Deaf, and the first to earn a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University.He earned a second master's degree from Seattle Pacific Christian . Mission societies often expanded into territories before colonial powers did, and providing education only cost them a little more. Rev. House, 1967. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. Missionaries travelled through dense evergreen forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to bring the Gospel to as many Ghanaians as they could. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Debrunner, Hans Werner. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. 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. West Africa owes to the Christian missionaries not only a new religious faith which has changed the beliefs and life of millions of people, but also the foundation of western education. Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. All work is written to order. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. endstream endobj 504 0 obj <>>>/Lang(en)/MarkInfo<>/Metadata 55 0 R/Outlines 135 0 R/Pages 498 0 R/StructTreeRoot 142 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 505 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 499 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 506 0 obj <>stream These contradictions are surprisingly absent from contemporary research. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. 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. JNE sustains a commitment to a threefold mission: first, to stimulate the collection and facilitate the dissemination of facts about the education of Black people; second, to present discussions involving critical appraisals of the proposals and practices relating to the education of Black people; and third, to stimulate and sponsor investigations of issues incident to the education of Black people. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. Prior to the advent of western education, Ghana's traditional social structures had inbuilt opportunities for mobility. WAEC This was around the same time that the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of Ghana. Christianity in northern Nigeria. To their minds, Africans were too backward and needed help to become more civilized. Study for free with our range of university lectures! A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i Looking for a flexible role? grammatical name 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. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. The coming of the Christian missionaries to Ghana had a positive impact on agriculture. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. The three models of Secondary education in Ghana since colonial times are the Mfantsipim School founded by the Church (mission) in 1876, Achimota School in 1927 established by the British Colonial government It is interesting to note that while in many ways missionaries sought to isolate students from their cultures, missionaries often insisted in teaching in the native languages. *You can also browse our support articles here >. And yet this was what earlier missionaries in pagan Europe had done when, for example, they had changed the Sabbath to suit the pagan Sun Day (hence Sunday), and had also adopted the dates of the pagan festivals to celebrate Christmas Day and the Easter festival. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. Also the missionaries set up model farms where scientific agriculture was taught and new crops were introduced for the people, to go alongside longstanding indigenous production. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. others adopted a system of education varied from one and the other hence, lacking consistency in the educational sector [3]. In many instances, they made their converts rebel against traditional rulers and other spiritual leaders. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). Frank Ogodo Ogbeche Next, branches of the C.M.S. Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the Gold Coast from the 15th century. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. In 2011 at age 77, he retired from teaching and returned to the United States. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. 517 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<2E41B338ACB2B2110A00B08D5A5CFE7F>]/Index[503 20]/Info 502 0 R/Length 86/Prev 357984/Root 504 0 R/Size 523/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. 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. A short history of education in British West Africa. For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. 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. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. Porter, Andrew. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. past questions The Essay Writing ExpertsUK Essay Experts. Please read our privacy policy to find out more. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. This finding was supported by two types of analysis. Prior to advent of the Christian missionaries and indeed well into the pre-independence period, most sick people depended for cure upon concoction herbs and roots and barks of trees. Shaw, Mark. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. These missionaries saw death in the course of their evangelizing work as a means to ascend to heavenly glory. S.J. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. 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.