Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? This research was funded by the European Research Council. In 1950 Albert Academy was founded in Freetown; for-a long lime it was the secondary school in the Colony serving largely children from the provinces, among them were the future heads of state, Sir Milton Margai and Dr. Siaka Stevens. This was the work of the great missionary, Thomas Birch Freeman, who placed two missionaries, Mr and Mrs. de Graft, in charge of the school. 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. In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. Private Study Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. This hymn sums up the reasons why the Christian missionaries came to Africa and other parts of the world. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . Ayandele (1966:283), writing in the 1960s, says, By their [the missions] efforts the main languages of Nigeria have been preserved as a lasting legacy to the Ibo, Yoruba, Efik, Nupe and Hausa. However, this practice was in fact probably more due to stereotypes of African ignorance than an interest in being culturally respectful: missionaries may have believed that it would take too long to teach a superior European language to the unintelligent natives when the natives souls were in such desperate need of saving. Lets now take a closer look at both the positive and negative impacts of the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and the rest of Africa. Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. 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. which were for females (Graham, 1971). ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. 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. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. Kalu, Ogbu. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. 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. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. Further, the missionaries introduced improved methods of farming together with modern farm implements. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. Alignment is the degree of congruence between your teaching philosophy and your institution's mission. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. 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. 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. Yes! The story of the planting of Christianity in Nigeria would be incomplete without a mention of the Italian Roman Catholic priest, Father Berghero. Etherington, Norman. 1 (1971): 103-115. Website design and development by Americaneagle.com, Inc, Society of the Divine Word- Western Province, Society of the Divine Word- Southern Province. However, as Jonathan Miran (2002) argues in his work on the roles of missionaries and the Italian state in Eritrean education, missionaries should not be held solely accountable for the poor standards of education. 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 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. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. In 2011 at age 77, he retired from teaching and returned to the United States. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. These commercial activities, therefore, made an important contribution to the economic development of Ghana. Get full access to all 9,566 pages that make up the Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 collection. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. Already have a license? Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. 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. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. Two important private schools with strong Christian influence must also be mentioned: Accra High School, founded in 1923 and Accra Academy, established in Hildebrandt, Jonathan. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. past questions In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. 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. The American Episcopal Evangelical (A.M.E.) Zion Church owes its foundation in Ghana to Bishop J. Bryan Small, who started work first at Keta in 1898. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. Moreover, it was not in the colonial powers interest for the natives to become too educated, as they might become self-reliant and could conceivably demand independence from the colonial power, so encouraging the less intellectual agricultural schools was in the governments interest. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. Was this information useful? In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. 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. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. 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. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Young Vincent began his studies with the Society of the Divine Word at Divine Word Seminary at Miramar in Massachusetts in 1947. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. Metadata. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. 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). The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. self help It is interesting to note that this project is not a new concept. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. In this respect the Christian religion therefore differed from the traditional religions of West Africa, which along with an acceptance of one Supreme Being worshipped a hierarchy of gods. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. 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. Wm. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. From the second half of the eighteenth century, a fervent wave of evangelical spirit developed in the United Kingdom, Europe and the New World which inspired men and women with the missionary fervour to found religious societies whose members would go out to Africa and the other lands. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. 26. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. skills for his or her future role in the society (Hetherington, 1979; Davidoff, 1980; Aboagye, 1997). He told me that that amount of money could pay for school fees for five students in secondary school in Ghana.. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. Lewis, Donald M., ed. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. English 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. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. In 1876 the college became associated with Durham University in England, which awarded degrees to students of the college. Evans Brothers, Ltd. London. life skills If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. 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). Wm. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. 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. 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. Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. For several years they paid attention to slave trade rather than evangelization and Christianization of the people of West-Africa. An Alumnus of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a Journalist, Author and a Philanthropist. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. 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 early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. 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. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. However, accustomed to monogamy, few European missionaries were open to such arguments. Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! Again, the Wesleyan missionaries established Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast in 1876. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. No plagiarism, guaranteed! (As at December 2020). T. Nelson. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. Thank you for supporting this project. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, informal education existed in Ghana with the goal of introducing young people into the society. The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. 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 training college later became part of Achimota College. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. Your email address will not be published. Then lets begin straightaway. CUP Archive, 1979. As Sir Henry Johnston, a key figure in the Scramble for Africa says, they [the mission stations] strengthen our hold over the country, they spread the use of the English language, they induct natives into the best kind of civilization, and in fact, each mission station is an essay in colonization (Johnston cited in Sheffield 1973:10). Baker Pub Group, 1996. 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. In Ghana, for instance, they persuaded their converts to reject polygamy and human sacrifice. Literature Arnold, 1986. It happens that some people convert at the end of their life in order to be buried in the prestigious Presbyterian cemetery. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. S.J. 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. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. This chapter traces the origins and long-term development of African mass education in colonial sub-Saharan Africa. Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. This allowed me to estimate the impact of mission schooling directly. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. 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 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. The latter, non-academic form of education provided by the missions has stimulated much interest among scholars, who are particularly interested in the failure of many of these schools and the hypocritical government support for the schools, seeing as the import of cheap goods from the mother countries caused many vocational school graduates, such as seamstresses, to be unemployed (Ayandele 1966:296; Foster 1965:134). For instance, the Basel Mission established the first teacher training college in Ghana. The people received the message with indifference. Mobility depended on the . The evangelical societies founded in the Americas included the Baptist Missionary Board and the Nova Scotian Methodists, whose members went to work among the Maroons, who had settled mainly in Liberia. Being able to speak and write in the colonisers language was considered a privilege. The home page of Compassion Canada is that of a stereotypical Northern charity: showing pictures of suffering children alternating with those of post-intervention, happy children. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. Hope Waddell started pioneering work, in 1846, in Calabar. Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. Please click this link to download the chapter. This thesis discusses and assesses contribution of Christian Missionaries to education in Meru from 1908 to 1963. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. 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. It offered the most direct path towards prestigious jobs in colonial administrations and European enterprises. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. Next, branches of the C.M.S. It is simply one of the gross evils of heathen society which, like habitual murder or slavery, must at all costs be ended. Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. 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. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. Above, we have described the role that trading companies, missionaries, and the government played for the spread of Western education in the coastal areas from the late sixteenth century onwards. government questions A history of Christianity in Ghana. 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). Schools were deemed important. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. In addition, while missionaries did run many academic primary schools, they provided little secondary education, a practice which prevented natives from becoming too educated (Ayandele 1966:286) and potentially subversive. Besides being an online tutor, Ralph is an author and expert digital marketer with proven skills in SEO content writing. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. Sign in to view the collection. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropon on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. 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). They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. Another difficulty that the early missionaries faced in the spread of Christianity was insufficient Christian literature at that time. Ramseyer had at first not intended a missionary sojourn in Ashanti. 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. Some early success included the Liberian coast where Afro-Americans and freed slaves were converted. Some of the missionaries came with them (549 years ago) but many died from the cruel tropical weather of forested West Africa. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. By February 2, 1918, all Basel missionaries had been deported from the Gold Coast. 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. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. Africa and the Winder World 3. 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 American Episcopal Evangelical (A.M.E.) Zion Church owes its foundation in Ghana to Bishop J. Bryan Small, who started work first at Keta in 1898. Initially,. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. All work is written to order. 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. Public money was spent only on the small number of government schools, totaling nineteen when Governor Guggisberg assumed office in 1919. Given the fluctuating standards between schools and regions and the lack of qualified teachers in the mission schools which had monopolies in well into the mid-twentieth century, it should come as little surprise that the quality of education continues to be a concern in many former colonies. Notably among these missionaries are the Wesleyan, Basel, and Bremen. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. Study for free with our range of university lectures! 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. A tiny act of kindness is remembered by a young man in need. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. WAEC 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). Development of Education in Sierra Leone. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. 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. 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. The Committee for Women's Work was responsible for the education of native girls. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. Finally, education affects many other aspects of peoples lives, including economic opportunities and political attitudes. Missionaries travelled through dense evergreen forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to bring the Gospel to as many Ghanaians as they could. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. 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. NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. 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. 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. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? In fact, Jacobus Capitein, a former Ghanaian slave who became a priest in the Dutch Reformed Church in the 18th century was on record to have defended the practice of slavery. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. 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). In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. I wanted to buy a smartphone for him, but when he got to know the price of the cell phone, he humbly declined. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. 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.