They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. Some of the positive development outcomes of former British colonies are arguably the result of a permissive attitude towards mission schools. 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. The story of the planting of Christianity in Nigeria would be incomplete without a mention of the Italian Roman Catholic priest, Father Berghero. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. Discipleship and leadership development are needed in order to support local churches and their growth in Ghana. Other missionaries opened mission stations in the country. Education in Ghana - Wikipedia The colonial Eritrean government ensured that native Eritreans received poor education by permitting them to only attend school up to the fourth grade (Miran 2002:127). opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. 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. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. For the next decade, the Church grew in Ghana at an accelerated pace. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. 'In view of this idea, Mmofraturo, the first girls boarding school in Ashanti was officially . The European missionaries engaged in trading and other commercial activities as well. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. A history of African Christianity 1950-1975. Your email address will not be published. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. A large body of studies show that missionaries had a lasting impact beyond their early years. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. For instance, the Basel Mission established the first teacher training college in Ghana. faceless characters More women than men attend church, and the more strict churchgoers tend to be wealthier and of higher social status than less churchgoers or non-Presbyterians. English comprehension 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. In 1902 the Methodists opened a clinic at Igbo-Ora. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. 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. Contributions of Missionaries Towards Education in India Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. 3 (2002): 555-584. For more than a year, Ghanaian Saints continued to practice their faith in their homes. We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. The late Eighteenth Century witnessed the rise of Christian groups in Europe that resorted to the evangelization of Africa. Again, the Wesleyan missionaries established Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast in 1876. Despite their significant contributions to education, local language development, agriculture and the economy as a whole, the missionaries have been criticized severally. 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. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. The reservation of high-level positions in the colonial administrations for Europeans and the corresponding mission education that provided education fit only for lower positions meant that the withdrawal of European rule could cause serious political instability in the newly independent colonies. For instance the scholar E.A. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. Christian missions also took a leading role in the campaign to end the slave trade and to suppress slavery. Through hard work and persuasion she succeeded in stopping the practice among the people of killing twins. PDF Religion Education and Development in Ghana - EA Journals 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. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. Further, the missionaries introduced improved methods of farming together with modern farm implements. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? 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. 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. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. church were founded in south-eastern Nigeria, the chief centres being Bonny and Brass. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. Vol. *You can also browse our support articles here >. The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. 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. An Alumnus of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a Journalist, Author and a Philanthropist. The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. PROBLEMS FACED BY THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES. Private Study With the exception of the first two volumes, marked "West Africa", these items are drawn from the volumes Series CWW. Lewis, Donald M., ed. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. non-slave trade), Christianity, Civilization and Colonization. Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the Gold Coast from the 15th century. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. hbbd```b``vd d"e ] DrI`5 d"(/ Almost all the missions in West Africa faced financial problems in the early stages of their missionary work. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Being ignorant of ones history causes one to lose part of ones identity and pride in that identity, and one is therefore more vulnerable to attacks denouncing ones culture as inferior, especially if at the same time one is being taught the noble history of another culture. The training college later became part of Achimota College. The people received the message with indifference. The effort of Dr. Kwame Nkrumah. The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a scholarly refereed journal, was founded at Howard University in 1932. The Akim area had about 3400 converts over 32 villages and there were about 900 children distributed in 27 Schools. The early European Christian missionaries in West Africa experienced a number of difficulties, some arising from factors outside their control and others of their own making. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. He was very simple in dress and in the use of modern technology, Father Tetteh said. The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Missionaries travelled through dense evergreen forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to bring the Gospel to as many Ghanaians as they could. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. 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 Journal of Negro Education, 2019 For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. hb```,,g@( B(Pi xD r[e}v'$ImK *e()dP#jjTNl=VtN(%!30p0040tt0B GGc2m2@M``a$]x2\YkvIaB1b`h6f` (eAKPU d However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. It also plays an important role in organization of inheritances within matrilineal houses and thus exerts influence from a legal point of view. wassce literature questions. Burns & Oates, 1979. 1. 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. 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. Mobility depended on the . Frank Ogodo Ogbeche Non-African Poetry Then lets begin straightaway. Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1933, Vincent Burke was the third of Walter and Eleanor (nee McGoff) Burkes four sons. 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. 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. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. Porter, Andrew. Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. English Was this information useful? Their educational activities helped spread literacy and vocational skills training among Ghanaians. 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. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. The education and skill development of the people is the highest, most potent agent of national development that the Church imparts to its output of students, scholars, and professionals who perform various precious roles in the various sectors of the national economy for national development,' he stated. Government & Politics Who is Mrs. Konrad in Second Class Citizen? The Methodist Church Ghana came into existence as a result of the missionary activities of the Wesleyan Methodist Church, inaugurated with the arrival of Joseph Rhodes Dunwell to the Gold Coast (Ghana) in 1835.Like the mother church, the Methodist Church in Ghana was established by people of Anglican background. The country has diverse geography, people groups, and languageswith English as the common language, and more than 11 others with state recognition. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. The next major Christian missionaries to go out to Sierra Leone were the Roman Catholics. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. This comes at no extra cost to you. Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries. They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. Etherington, Norman. 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). One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. The missionaries also greatly improved the health services. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. 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). grammatical name His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. A new attempt to spread Christianity was made when the Church Missionary Society (CMS) arrived from Britain in 1821. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. They often attributed natural ailments to supernatural causes and resorted to mystic cults to appease the unknown spirit, before applying medicine to the sick person. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. which were for females (Graham, 1971). In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. 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. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana People all around the world are searching for hope, but many dont have someone to tell them about the hope found in Jesus. Volunteers and donors to organizations such as Compassion Canada believe that they are being humanitarian when they build schools in Africa, volunteer as teachers or help in other ways to improve the quality of education in African nations, yet missionaries and colonial governments were similarly lauded as performing a great work of humanity (Beck 1966:117) and likewise believed that they were helping their African pupils. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. 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. Also the missionaries set up model farms where scientific agriculture was taught and new crops were introduced for the people, to go alongside longstanding indigenous production. 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. 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. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. 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. 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). 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. The result is that today, many Africans are alienated from their authentic ways of life. 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. 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. 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. A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. The Essay Writing ExpertsUK Essay Experts. Another reason why the Europeans came to spread the Christian religion in Ghana was to pave their own way into eternal glory. 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. 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. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. If your specific country is not listed, please select the UK version of the site, as this is best suited to international visitors. Following ordination, he was sent to Washington, D.C., and the Catholic University of America, where he earned a masters degree in English literature. An attempt to respond to this question informs the underlying interest for this paper, namely, to explore the extent to which these institutions, especially . This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). Some of these effects are still with us today. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. 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. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! Aligning Your Teaching Philosophy with Your Institution's Mission And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. Please click this link to download the chapter. Another contribution of missionaries to the development of Ghana was their pioneering role in writing many local languages. However, the motivation behind teaching Africans basic literacy and mathematics might not have been a cause for concern if not for the fact that the religious motivation curtailed education. Without denying that prior to the introduction of Christianity in West Africa the people had developed their own crafts, one must admit that it was Christian missionaries who introduced modern forms of crafts such as carpentry and masonry. Four volumes of incoming correspondence marked "West Africa" on the spine. First, alignment can help you communicate your . 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. Christian Missionaries. In Ghana, for instance, they persuaded their converts to reject polygamy and human sacrifice. One of the missions most important contributions to the colonial regimes was their role in educating the native Africans. Baker Pub Group, 1996. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. 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 . Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. James Fieldhouse, produced a Wolof Grammar in 1876. However, attending mission schools also meant exposure to colonial indoctrination. 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. Because of rivalry, instead of building one common, multi-denominational school in a village that really only needed the one school, missionaries each built a school for their particular denomination and competed for students (Berman 1974:533). senior high school history Moreover, they introduced new crops into the Ghanaian economy. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. C.M.S. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. 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). Let's look in-depth into these scholarships. Father Burke became director of the Divine Word Language and Cultural Centre in Ghana. In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. Other difficulties the early Christians faced were the problems of the many languages and dialects and their ignorance of the true meaning of the various cultures, beliefs, values and ways of life of the people whom they set out to convert to Christianity. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. Brief History. 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. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. PDF Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and This research was funded by the European Research Council. 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). Metadata. A new era began with the settlements of Black Christians from Nova Scotia in Sierra Leone in 1787 and the missionary advance inland from Cape Town beginning with the arrival there of J. T. van der Kemp in 1799. History of the church in Africa: a survey. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. 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). Father Tetteh also took note of Father Burkes humility and devotion to his students. The tropical climatic condition in the country was not favourable to the early missionaries who came to the shores of West Africa. Their arrival in South Africa was aimed particularly at spreading the Word of God. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. Box 6000, Techny, IL 60082-6000. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. To supplement these missionary efforts in the field of higher education, the government opened its own secondary school in Lagos in 1909, this was Kings College. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. As churches of the Volta Region begin reproducing, ABWE wants to reach out to Ghanas unreached people groups in its eight other regions. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. education was an important means for mission evangelization. Indeed, once the souls had been saved and since the students must have been considered clever enough, European languages were almost universally the languages of instruction in the later primary years and in secondary schools (Beck 1966: 120; Foster 1965: 159; Miran 2002:127).