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). Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. Their economic activities went beyond the development of agriculture. university courses 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. The school, which was established the year of independence in 1957, was a work in progress. 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. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. 1 (1971): 103-115. Shaw, Mark. endstream
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Both the academic and vocational forms of education the missions provided served to strengthen the rule of the colonial powers, so that the native inhabitants were second-class citizens in their own land. A.G. Frazer, did much to encourage the promotion of indigenous culture, but by and large the colonial authorities contributed to dwindling a good deal of our cultural heritage. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. We must not lose sight of the fact that the colonial government in Ghana and elsewhere in Africa relied on the activities of the missionaries to help them achieve the objectives of colonial rule. independent learning Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. 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. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. others adopted a system of education varied from one and the other hence, lacking consistency in the educational sector [3]. On the opposite side, the coming of the Christian missionaries brought in its wake certain negative developments like disregard for African culture and rebellion against traditional authority. Therefore, considering that the impact of mission education continues to have serious repercussions today, one must question whether the First World should continue to interfere in African education. They impressed it upon their converts not to have anything to do with these traditional practices. Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. 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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. The common response among traditionally polygamous people is well illustrated by a passage in Jomo Kenyattas famous book on the Gikuyu in colonial Kenya: This [the insistence on monogamy] caused a great confusion, for the African could not understand how he could drive away his wives and children, especially in a community where motherhood is looked upon as a religious duty; the children are regarded as part and parcel, not only of the father, but of the whole clan (mbari), and without them the mbari is lost. personal development 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. In an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. 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. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. African Drama Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. Initially, their activities focused on coastal areas. He professed vows in 1953 in Conesus, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at Techny, Ill. 4>Ofv}TMdQ! The most momentous discovery in western Africa came in 1471, when Portuguese captains first reached the coast of modern Ghana between the mouths of the Ankobra and Volta rivers. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence.Click to see full answer What is missionary education?A mission school or [] These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. Soon after the Methodist experiment, the church Missionary Society set up their own school at Badagry. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. It also talks about all the mission societies from all denominations engaged in educational works. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. wassce literature questions. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. Please click this link to download the chapter. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. But with the abolition of slavery, the introduction of cocoa, and the Churchs efficient school system, she gradually became the Church of the social elite. In this chapter, we shall examine how Christianity and Western-style education influenced West Africans values, attitudes and life-styles. Burns & Oates, 1979. Some observers have argued that the Europeans used the Christian bible to justify the practice of slavery and the slave trade. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. Another valuable contribution of the Christian missionaries in West Africa was the development of literature in the local vernaculars, this included the translation of the Bible into some of the important local languages. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. As happened in Ghana, the development of training colleges in Nigeria was slower than secondary schools, though the C. M. S. had opened the first training college at Abeokuta as far back as 1849. hb```,,g@( B(Pi
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He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. There were only bush paths, and no roads in the early times. In line with this, formal education in Ghana was started by the western traders and the missionaries by the 15th century through the 18th century respectively. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. This post may contain affiliate links. Lewis, Donald M., ed. Ghana Education Service seeks to create an enabling environment in all educational institutions and management positions that will facilitate effective teaching and learning and efficiency in the management for the attainment of the goals of the Service. DISCLOSURE. Just look at the lyrics of this evangelizing song written in 1819 by Reginald Heber, a prolific English hymnist in the Anglican church. The History of Christianity in West Africa. The missions agricultural schools were especially beneficial for colonial governments considering that governments believed that manual labour was a means to prevent discontent and unrest in the tribes (Hansen 1984:232). Their converts increased steadily in numbers until 1821 when a section broke away to form the first independent African, Christian church in West Africa, called the West Africa Methodist Church. quiz Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. He told me that that amount of money could pay for school fees for five students in secondary school in Ghana.. WhatsApp : +233204700052
With the exception of the first two volumes, marked "West Africa", these items are drawn from the volumes Series CWW. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. 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. It was only after the Second World War that the colonial governments started to show a real interest in the promotion of formal education in West Africa. 522 0 obj
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Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. The missionaries believed that in order to stabilize the faith of converts and to assist in character development, it was necessary that they should be able to read the scriptures or other books of religious instruction, translated by the missions. Father Burke became director of the Divine Word Language and Cultural Centre in Ghana. Also, Christian missionaries in Ghana were as zealous as their counterparts in Nigeria in pioneering medical services. 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 All the three secondary schools in Cape Coast were mission institutions. Some progressive Europeans, like the first principal of Achimota College, Rev. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. New team members can be part of establishing a biblical foundation for the next generation of believers, the growth of nationally-led churches, and church planting in Ghana. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. 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. 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 . Following ordination, he was sent to Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a masters degree in English literature. Some of these effects are still with us today. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. As they could not recruit British missionary volunteers initially, the Church Missionary Society sponsored the services of German missionaries, who were Lutherans, to come out to Sierra Leone. Again, the missionaries persuaded Africans to abandon the practice of tribal marks. Like the Methodists, the Roman Catholic missionaries spread the faith notably in the interior, which later became Protectorate. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. African poetry Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. 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. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. Today, local communities and ethnic groups that were more exposed to mission schools, still achieve higher levels of education, when compared to communities where there were no schools. Notable among these were cocoa and coffee. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. This finding was supported by two types of analysis. The Ghana Education Decentralization Project (GEDP), launched in 2010 and ended in 2012, has increased the influence of local authorities over management . Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries. In 2006, Father Burke was appointed lecturer at the newly founded Catholic University College of Ghana in Sunyani. senior high school history The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. To their minds, Africans were too backward and needed help to become more civilized. It happens that some people convert at the end of their life in order to be buried in the prestigious Presbyterian cemetery. Schools were deemed important. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. 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. They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. It is important to emphasize that the modern history of the Christian Mission in Africa started from the late Eighteenth Century, the Catholics had been there earlier in the first centuries of the Christian era especially during the first Portuguese adventures. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. Your email address will not be published. Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. Johannes Zimmermann, for example, produced a Ga dictionary, Ga bible and grammar book. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. Father Burke was preceded in death by his parents and his brother John. 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 . While the protestant evangelical movements were gaining ground in West Africa, similar movements were being promoted by the Roman Catholic Church in Europe. Debrunner, Hans Werner. 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. document.getElementById("ak_js_1").setAttribute("value",(new Date()).getTime()); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. By 1914 there were barely thirty schools in that vast area. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. (As at December 2020). Under the Basel Missions Salem system, converts were separated from the traditional society. For instance the scholar E.A. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. Thank you! About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West 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. Hope Waddell of the Church of Scotland had opened a school at Duke Town, Calabar. 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. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. 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). For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions 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 others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. (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.