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. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. 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. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. 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. This decreased the zeal with which people began to accept the Gospel leading to nominal Christianity. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. 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. 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. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. Already have a license? His funeral Mass was Sept. 27, followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery at Techny. English comprehension The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. Johannes Zimmermann, for example, produced a Ga dictionary, Ga bible and grammar book. The History of Christianity in West Africa. 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 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 fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. Through academic lessons and lessons on Western etiquette and hygiene, mission students were isolated from their traditional cultures, a traumatic experience that would continue to trouble many students for the rest of their lives. wassce literature questions. The Christian Connector Scholarship. However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. PDF Religion Education and Development in Ghana - EA Journals By using postcolonial theory as a framework for analysis, it is evident that the Western formal education introduced to the people of the Gold Coast by the Christian missionaries and the British Colonial government did not serve the indigenous population well. This Western education imparted to the Ameru by the Church of Scotland Missionaries, Consolata . Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. 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. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. 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. 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. Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. further studies To their minds, Africans were too backward and needed help to become more civilized. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. Education (2002), the latest committee to work on education reforms in Ghana, recommended a critical review and approach to making teacher education relevant to the devel-opment of the country. We shall now turn our attention to the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. 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. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. 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. This finding was supported by two types of analysis. The Rev. But that increase was greater in monogamous societies. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. Your email address will not be published. Website design and development by Americaneagle.com, Inc, Society of the Divine Word- Western Province, Society of the Divine Word- Southern Province. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. Etherington, Norman. Full article: Inequality of education in colonial Ghana: European If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. They also introduced vocational education in the country. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. senior high school government Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. 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. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. English In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. In an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. Study for free with our range of university lectures! 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). In conclusion, the educational enterprise of the Christian missionaries in the British and Italian colonies of Africa during the mid-nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries was primarily negative for the African pupils. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Looking for a flexible role? History of the church in Africa: a survey. A large body of studies show that missionaries had a lasting impact beyond their early years. In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? Today, human sacrifice is generally frowned upon and considered an abomination. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. The First Missionaries were sent as a result of a request by Major de Richelieu, Governor of Christiansborg. 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. In 1845 the C.M.S. J. G. Christaller produced a Twi Grammar and Dictionary. 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. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Evans Brothers, Ltd. London. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. 503 0 obj <> endobj CUP Archive, 1979. They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. Amma Darko 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. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. In many instances, they made their converts rebel against traditional rulers and other spiritual leaders. Secondary Schools in the Protectorate started later, following the establishment of Bo Government Secondary School in 1906. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 As founder and director at CEGAST, he has successfully coached thousands of students in English, Literature, and related subjects for major international examinations. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. In the field of education, however, the missionaries had to adjust their programmes to fit in with the policy of assimilation. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. 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. 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. 11 Missionary College Scholarships You Can Apply For All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Further, the missionaries introduced improved methods of farming together with modern farm implements. A history of Christianity in Africa: From antiquity to the present. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. 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. which were for females (Graham, 1971). English grammar Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. Some observers have argued that the Europeans used the Christian bible to justify the practice of slavery and the slave trade. Isichei, Elizabeth. West Africa and Christianity. 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. These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. senior high school history Then lets begin straightaway. The first batch, who came out between 1804 and 1806, included pioneer missionaries like Renner and Nylander. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. 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. Furthermore, missionaries, believing in the civilizing mission, attempted to disintegrate traditional society through education by choosing academic subjects, such as the histories of the Western colonial powers, that illustrated the superiority of the Western culture, as well as by teaching about the superiority of the West in non-academic matters such as hygiene. For instance, in southern Nigeria, the CMS policy was to teach in the vernacular at the primary level, while the Roman Catholic Missions policy was to teach in English (Bassey 1991:42). These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. The history of education in Ghana from the earliest times to the 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. 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. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. 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. 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. The governor had observed the bad moral life of the Europeans in the fort. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. The South African War is not covered in this grouping of letters. Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. After a time the idea becomes ingrained -it is heathen and unchristian to be an African culturally (Awori cited in Berman 1974:536). For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. 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). %PDF-1.7 % ]v#5%{,%Y{iKsZ|Cm7NismGmg_zxKYh?>bQ?ni8G.wx:qAm$ eb!^Kr$,.9Qq^|1. Ghana - Statistics and Church Facts | Total Church Membership Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. 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. 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. Notable among these were cocoa and coffee. 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). 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. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. The traditions and values of the community, as well as the meaning of life, were taught to the child. 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. Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. In spite of the division, the parent Methodist missionary church played an important role in the history of Christianity in Sierra Leone. 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. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. The Christian Connector is a great resource for Christians and aspiring ministry leaders and missionaries to apply for scholarships. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Economics Moreover, the Islamic religion was also being introduced to the southern section of the country by Muslim immigrants from the north of the colony. 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. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. faceless characters (As at December 2020). These new movements considered such ventures to be their contribution to Europes reparation for centuries of exploitation of Africans, reparation for the centuries of exploitation which the Trans Atlantic slave trade had caused to African society. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. Grammar School for Boys in 1859, St Gregorys College opened by the Catholics in 1876, Methodist Boys High School 1878 and Methodist Girls High School 1879. Hope Waddell of the Church of Scotland had opened a school at Duke Town, Calabar. Upon completing his degree, Father Burke received his first assignment abroad: Ghana, the first Black sub-Saharan country in Africa to gain independence from a colonial power. 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. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. In addition to promoting a monogamous lifestyle in their schools, missionaries often insisted on divorces before polygamists or their children could even enrol. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. S.J. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. essay writing Instruction in the Colonial School and the Wesleyan Mission schools at Cape Coast Castle was in English despite the fact that Fanti was the language of the native people. 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. 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. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. Often drumming and the harmless songs and dances of the people were condemned. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. (with Examples), Top 20 Topics in English for Academic Purposes, 7 Rules of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, 10 Importance of Referencing and Citation in Academic Writing, How to Get a Degree Without Going to High School, Joseph Rhodes Dunwell Methodist Missionary, 1835, Thomas Birch Freeman Methodist Missionary, 1838, Thomas Thompson Society for the Propagation of the Gospel/Anglican, 1752, Wesley Girls High School, Cape Coast Methodist missionaries, Mfantsipim School, Cape Coast Methodist, Adisadel College, Cape Coast Anglican Missionaries, Holy Child School, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, St Augustines College, Cape Coast Roman Catholic, Archbishop Potter Girls School, Takoradi, Aburi Girls Secondary School Presbyterian, St Monicas High School, Mampong Anglican. They were at the forefront during the fight for self-rule in Ghana. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? self help Government & Politics Catholic Higher Education and Mission in Nigeria: The Contributions of Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. Listen as we explore missions, theology, and practice to help senders and goers alike. PDF Missions, Education and Conversion in Colonial Africa The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. 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. Frank Ogodo Ogbeche They discovered that the holy book did not clearly prescribe monogamy, and contained several examples of renowned Christian polygamists. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. 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. 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. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. Andrew Jackson Foster (1925-1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services.
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