All rights reserved. Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. 1. quiz Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. 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. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. 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. Economics Given their priorities, it should thus come as little surprise that missions often provided poor education to the African pupils. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. Within a short time the missionaries spread their activities inland. 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. 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. (As at December 2020). Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. However, attending mission schools also meant exposure to colonial indoctrination. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. I have used my expertise to design and implement strategies for major projects including new programme development, global proposals, book launches, international talks, lectures, and executive . ABWE is also at work in countries that restrict evangelism. 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). It also talks about all the mission societies from all denominations engaged in educational works. West Africa and Christianity. The History of Christianity in West Africa. Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. Yes! Christian Religious Studies In an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. education was an important means for mission evangelization. Despite the skills and opportunities mission schooling afforded, many Africans were not willing to pay the price. The Methodists founded Mfantsipim (1876) for boys and Wesley Girls High School (1884). 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. The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. Perhaps the greatest service of the missionaries was the promotion of western education and the development of vernacular literature. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. The training college later became part of Achimota College. 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. Senior High School Literature In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . In the Western Region, the Catholic Sisters running a hospital at Eikwe specialized in maternity cases, and like Slessor in Nigeria succeeded in stamping out the practice of killing twins at birth. If a government fails to regulate schools at all, they have no right to complain that the education in their colony is poor. The foreign exchange earnings helped to develop Ghanas infrastructure. Johannes Zimmermann wrote a grammar of the Ga language, and in 1874 the Rev. As happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the gospel alone. 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. Textbooks were heavily biased towards western ideas and values. But with colonial conquest and antimalarial drugs, they moved further into the continent. In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. In my study, I explored how colonial era conflicts and disagreements over marriage norms lastingly affected educational development. 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). Moreover, they introduced new crops into the Ghanaian economy. Government & Politics personal development 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. 1991. 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. The Rev. I wanted to buy a smartphone for him, but when he got to know the price of the cell phone, he humbly declined. For instance, in Nigeria in 2006, approximately only 51.2% of primary school teachers of either gender were trained as teachers, and the enrolment rate in primary education for both genders in 2000 stood at about 62.7%, compared to 99.5% in Canada (UN Data 2010). He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. Private Study Frank Ogodo Ogbeche Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Was this information useful? I found that while educational outcomes are generally better in places that were exposed to Christian missions in the colonial era, traditionally polygamous societies benefited less. In this respect the Christian religion therefore differed from the traditional religions of West Africa, which along with an acceptance of one Supreme Being worshipped a hierarchy of gods. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. Although modern scientific research has confirmed the medicinal properties of these concoctions, traditional medical practice had several shortcomings. In 1892, the Church Missionary Society opened the Iyi Enu Hospital in Onitsha which is today a leading hospital in Anambra state. Email: henrydonsco@gmail.com Predominantly Muslim territory, the North received western education later than the South. Mission societies often expanded into territories before colonial powers did, and providing education only cost them a little more. The South African War is not covered in this grouping of letters. Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. No plagiarism, guaranteed! For instance, in Nigeria, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Unlike the Portuguese, the French colonial officials encouraged the Christian missionaries in the promotion of formal education and social services, notably health. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, informal education existed in Ghana with the goal of introducing young people into the society. Now, with the burgeoning Cocoa industry, the expansion of commercial activity, the development of gold mines and the building of roads and railways disturbed the traditional lifestyle. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. 2: Trans-Saharan Trade. Their greatest legacy in the field of education was the foundation which the Methodist laid for what is today the Gambia High school. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. Ghana continued to call. So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? The quest for an all-inclusive development model of Ghana and other developing nations, therefore, calls for an insight into the role and responsibilities of religion toward education. 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. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. 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. However, accustomed to monogamy, few European missionaries were open to such arguments. Some of the positive development outcomes of former British colonies are arguably the result of a permissive attitude towards mission schools. 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. Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. THE CHRISTIAN MISSIONARIES AND VERNACULAR LITERATURE; 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. 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. The achievement of the purpose of these Christian Missions came with some costs. 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). He moved to Techny in 2016. Initially,. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. 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. 26. As a predominantly Roman Catholic country, France encouraged Roman Catholic missionaries right from the start of her colonial activities in West Africa. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. WhatsApp : +233204700052 As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. Moreover, it was not in the colonial powers interest for the natives to become too educated, as they might become self-reliant and could conceivably demand independence from the colonial power, so encouraging the less intellectual agricultural schools was in the governments interest. The missionary and colonial education aimed at character training and civilization resulted in cultural annihilation and religious, and linguistic hegemony. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. While it has brought undoubted benefits, it has also harmed the traditional way of life. But despite the work of Portuguese missionaries based on the island of Sao Tome and later of Spanish missionaries in Benin, it was not until the nineteenth century that the Christian religion was firmly established in Nigeria. When he arrived in Nkwatia-Kwahu to teach English at St. Peters Secondary School, the town had yet to benefit from electricity and running water. In 1858 the Rev. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. missionaries was the development of literature in Yoruba. The people received the message with indifference. 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). The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. Several missionaries died at a youthful age due to the unfriendly tropical climate. The original Yaba College in Lagos has grown into a polytechnic. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. 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. They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. senior high school crs Lewis, Donald M., ed. While missionaries could sometimes clash with colonial governments, for the most part missions were important tools for colonial governments. Thus, as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. further studies Yet, the relationship between European missionaries and African populations had some contradictions. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. They need YOU. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev.
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