These included the Basel Missionary Society, founded in Switzerland, and the Breman Mission formed in Germany. further studies Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Father Burke can be made for the care of elderly and infirm missionaries and sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Road, P.O. Soon after the Methodist experiment, the church Missionary Society set up their own school at Badagry. History books tended to exaggerate in achievements of Europeans, making no reference to Africans own great past. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. This was around the same time that the first Portuguese sailors arrived on the coast of Ghana. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. These commercial activities, therefore, made an important contribution to the economic development of Ghana. Father Burke became director of the Divine Word Language and Cultural Centre in Ghana. However the superficial motivations and ideologies have changed, at the most basic level both contemporary Northern charities and nineteenth century missionaries share the belief that the North must come and save the suffering natives, which in the case of the missionaries, has been proven to have inflicted more harm than provided relief. The Missionary Factor in Ghana's Development, pp.11 &135 categorically asserted that economic and social changes were brought about by the total effect of the various projects initiated by the. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Christianity in Ghana - Wikipedia crs questions and anwers Economics For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. B. et al. self help He moved to Techny in 2016. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. 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. Often drumming and the harmless songs and dances of the people were condemned. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. I compared data on the historical locations of mission stations since 1924, in 26 sub-Saharan countries with recent education data between 2008 and 2018. independent learning Kuhne , his fellow captive and co-author joined him at the mission as a trader in cotton, an activity which was part of, and a means of, financing the mission. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. Ghana - Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership English comprehension To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. Instead of needing to import skilled workers such as carpenters, the mission schools provided colonial governments with workers capable of building and maintaining the colonys infrastructure and basic technology, a contribution that kept the colonies running smoothly. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. Again, the missionaries persuaded Africans to abandon the practice of tribal marks. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. Was this information useful? For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. In this essay on the impact of Christian missionary activities on Ghanaian society, we shall examine the role of the missionaries in the development of Ghana and the rest of Africa. Daystar Press, 1978. Teaching in the vernacular had an additional use as it further strengthened colonial rule, of which missionaries were often agents, for as the Kikuyu people of Kenya were aware, [the] inability to communicate in English would be a crucial factor in the perpetuation of their subordinate status in the colony (Berman 1974:531). Hildebrandt, Jonathan. Two other training colleges opened by the missionaries, in the early days, were the Wesley College in Kumasi (1922) and the Roman Catholic Training College at Amisano, near Elmina (1931) which in 1936 moved to the campus of the newly founded secondary school, St Augustines College at Cape Coast. Joseph Dunwell. 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. In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem 1835 the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. It was also terribly hard for a woman to be driven away, and to lose her status in the society where she is respected as a wife and a mother. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . All rights reserved. The Basel Mission. Of the ten largest congregations for men, the Society of the Divine Word is the fastest growing over the past 50 years. 2018). Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. life skills Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. The people received the message with indifference. 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. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. 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. In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. In 2006, Father Burke was appointed lecturer at the newly founded Catholic University College of Ghana in Sunyani. The Scottish Missionary Society had been working in Calabar, Nigeria, also a British colony adjacent to the Gold Coast and it was from the Calabar Presbyterian Church in Nigeria that a missionary was sent to take charge of the Presbyterian work in the Gold Coast after the deportations. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa Yes! Please click this link to download the chapter. Andrew Foster (educator) - Wikipedia Educational Reforms in Ghana: Past and Present - ResearchGate 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). cited in Miran 2002:128). It is much easier to interact on an equal basis or even challenge the authority of another group when one is able to communicate in that groups language, instead of having to rely on an interpreter or non-verbal gestures, which undermine ones ability to show authority or express ones beliefs. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. 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. This decreased the zeal with which people began to accept the Gospel leading to nominal Christianity. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. Kalu, Ogbu. The Christian Connector Scholarship. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. They were to spread the message of the Gospel, render social services to the people and to assist in the suppression of slavery and the slave trade. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. 1931. As happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the gospel alone. The coming of the Christian missionaries to Ghana had a positive impact on agriculture. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Besides education, they cared for the sick. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. 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. 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. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . 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. Amma Darko In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. As negative as all these impacts of the missionaries undoubtedly were for the African pupils, the long-term consequences are arguably as serious. Founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen, we number more than 6,000 missionaries. These missionary societies laid the foundations of the Roman Catholic Church in West Africa, which lasted through to the independence period when African clergy replaced the white pastors. For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. Although the aim of the traders was to practice commerce Longman Publishing Group, 1980. ASSESS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GHANA. 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. The mission schools trained Africans to be able to work as translators, messengers and office clerks for the colonial government. 1991. Mr. Henry Kwadwo Amoako is a Ghanaian Social Scientist, Researcher and Acclaimed Historian for over two decades. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. All work is written to order. 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. He also blogs at BloggingtotheMax.com. Church history, history of Christianity, religious history: some reflections on British missionary enterprise since the late eighteenth century. Church History 71, no. 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. Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. Ghana continued to call. Following ordination, he was sent to Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a masters degree in English literature. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. Introduction, spread and effects, 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa, 7: Scramble for and Partition of West Africa, 9: Problems of Independent West African States, 10: West Africa and International Organizations, 11: Women and Authority in West African History, 12: The Environment in West African History. T. Nelson. The First Missionaries were sent as a result of a request by Major de Richelieu, Governor of Christiansborg. Being able to speak and write in the colonisers language was considered a privilege. English for life Thank you for supporting this project. 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. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. Some observers have argued that the Europeans used the Christian bible to justify the practice of slavery and the slave trade. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. DISCLOSURE. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1933, Vincent Burke was the third of Walter and Eleanor (nee McGoff) Burkes four sons. Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. Literature 11 Missionary College Scholarships You Can Apply For At the time of its inception, however, there was no publication that systematically or comprehensively addressed the enormous problems that characterized the education of Blacks in the United States and elsewhere. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. 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. Copyright 20102023, The Conversation Media Group Ltd, Bristol Archives/Universal Images Group/Getty Images, Committee Member - MNF Research Advisory Committee, PhD Scholarship - Uncle Isaac Brown Indigenous Scholarship. The Basel missionaries arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1828 and 522 0 obj <>stream Reiterating what teacher education must encapsulate, Adegoke (2003) and Benneh (2006) indi-cated that the mission of Ghana's teacher education is to pro- After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. The contribution of the missionaries to the development of Setswana as Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 1 (1971): 103-115. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. 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 A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. which were for females (Graham, 1971). New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. Textbooks were heavily biased towards western ideas and values. 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 achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. wassce literature questions. Arnold, 1986. 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). The first missionaries to come to Ghana were the Roman Catholic missionaries in the 15th century and the Anglican missionaries. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. Christian missionaries were the first to introduce European-style education in sub-Saharan Africa. The next major Christian missionaries to go out to Sierra Leone were the Roman Catholics. Help those suffering in Turkey and Syria. Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. Another difficulty that the early missionaries faced in the spread of Christianity was insufficient Christian literature at that time. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. Baker Pub Group, 1996. Success followed the efforts of the pioneer missionaries. 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. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. 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. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. 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). There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. PDF Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. This study simply offers systematic, long-term evidence of it. Up to Guggisbergs time, the church schools did not receive grants from the government. 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. Edward Berman notes that contemporary critics of the missionaries felt that missionaries were more interested in increasing enrolments in their respective churches than in pooling their resources for the benefit of African education (Berman 1974:533). 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. 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. Mission societies often expanded into territories before colonial powers did, and providing education only cost them a little more. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. Some of the positive development outcomes of former British colonies are arguably the result of a permissive attitude towards mission schools. 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 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. Babalola, E. O. Christianity in West Africa. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. senior high school English The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. It is important for several reasons. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. Porter, Andrew. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. The restrictions intensified until in the second week of 1917, when all German missionaries were rounded up, brought to Accra and deportations began on December 16. Teacher Education in Ghana - SAGE Journals Another missionary whose memory is revered in Nigeria was Mary Slessor, she arrived in the country in 1876, and for many years worked assiduously as a missionary nurse. 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). In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. 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. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. Father Burke was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. Clarke, Peter Bernard. As an institution introduced by agents with radically different values, the Christian religion damaged the culture and traditional beliefs of the people of West Africa.
