In 1859, the first newspaper in Yoruba, called the Iwe-Irohim, was published by the missionaries. This company promoted the import and export trade in Ghana. Some observers have argued that the Europeans used the Christian bible to justify the practice of slavery and the slave trade. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. 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, on 2nd October 1792, the Baptist Missionary Society was formed followed by the interdenominational London Missionary Society which was established in 1795. 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. In addition to teaching, he served as national spiritual director of the Ghana Sacred Heart Enthronement Centre and spiritual director of the Accra Diocesan Sacred Heart Centre. Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. He had a special devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. 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. adult education 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. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. 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). Prior to advent of the Christian missionaries and indeed well into the pre-independence period, most sick people depended for cure upon concoction herbs and roots and barks of trees. education was an important means for mission evangelization. For this reason, missionaries believed they were doing their students a favour by discouraging traditional practices and promoting Western ones. But that increase was greater in monogamous societies. English It also plays an important role in organization of inheritances within matrilineal houses and thus exerts influence from a legal point of view. Joseph Dunwell. This chapter traces the origins and long-term development of African mass education in colonial sub-Saharan Africa. As happened in other West African countries, many more mission-sponsored hospitals were founded in the course of the twentieth century. 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 . Kalu, Ogbu. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. Andrew Foster (educator) - Wikipedia 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. Thomas Birch Freeman, son of a London-based West Indian father and an English mother. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. 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). Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropon on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 1995. In Sierra Leone, the Church Missionary Society (CMS), offshoot of the Anglican Church, was the first to become firmly established chiefly among the freed captive and freed slave settlers from Britain, Nova Scotia and other parts of the New World. A history of Christianity in Ghana. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. A large body of studies show that missionaries had a lasting impact beyond their early years. Porter, Andrew. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana These missions significantly influenced the systematic educational development in the Gold Coast. Among the Christian missionaries that came to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the following. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? Among other missionary hospitals of long standing and reputation are those run by the Methodists at Wenkyi in the Brong-Ahafo Region, and by the Seventh Day Adventists at Kwahu Atibie in the Eastern Region. West Africa and Christianity. Seeing as missions in the British and Italian colonies had monopolies on education for the nineteenth to mid-twentieth centuries, this reluctance meant that there were few secondary schools at all (Ayandele 1966:287; Beck 1966: 120). Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. After six years at St. Peters, Father Burke was named chaplain and professor of English literature at St. Thomas Aquinas Secondary School in Osu, Ghana. 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. Another contribution of missionaries to the development of Ghana was their pioneering role in writing many local languages. The Roman Catholic Sisters provided medical care in the Upper and Northern Regions of the country before the government started to provide hospitals and clinics in the regional and district headquarters. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. Consequently, they couldnt do much to promote the cultivation of food crops like maize, cassava, cocoyam and plantain. His viewing and wake service took place on Sept. 26 at the chapel in the Divine Word Residence at Techny. They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. 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. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. People all around the world are searching for hope, but many dont have someone to tell them about the hope found in Jesus. Series CLS. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. 2 (1983): 116-143. Another important German missionary was Wilhelm Johannson, better known by the English version of his name, William Johnson, who is revered in the history of the CMS in West Africa. 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. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. bible knowledge I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. 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. His immigrant Irish-born parents instilled faith and a firm work ethic in their sons. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Debrunner, Hans Werner. 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. The home page of Compassion Canada is that of a stereotypical Northern charity: showing pictures of suffering children alternating with those of post-intervention, happy children. Soon after the Methodist experiment, the church Missionary Society set up their own school at Badagry. 1 (1971): 103-115. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king. With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. Economics The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. The Basel Mission. Support earthquake relief and outreach efforts, biblical foundation for the next generation of believers. It is one of the oldest continuously published periodicals by and about Black people. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. Hope Waddell of the Church of Scotland had opened a school at Duke Town, Calabar. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. Education in Ghana - Wikipedia Christian converts were indoctrinated to frown upon the use of indigenous first names in favour of Christian ones. To put it differently, the motive was to gain acceptance in the sight of God so that after death they would be judged kindly by the heavenly father. In Ghana, for instance, they persuaded their converts to reject polygamy and human sacrifice. Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. 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. Among other things the regulations required that all teachers should be registered, and a minimum salary was fixed. While they frowned upon bridewealth, female genital cutting, or matrilineality, they held a special grudge against polygamy. 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. Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. J. G. Christaller produced a Twi Grammar and Dictionary. The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who focus on missionary work. 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). Other difficulties they 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. 1931. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. %PDF-1.7 % PDF Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Missions, Education and Conversion in Colonial Africa House, 1967. 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). Governments are also not free from blame even if they had a laissez-faire educational policy, as in Ghana, where until 1944 the registration of schools was not required and no attempt was made to exert detailed control even over the activities of grant-aided [by the government] institutions except for a series of minimal registrations (Foster 1965:114). The Journal of Negro Education, 8 8 The Effect of Western Formal Johannes Zimmermann, for example, produced a Ga dictionary, Ga bible and grammar book. Following agitation by the people in 1934, the government opened the old Yaba Higher College and Medical School, which awarded diplomas acceptable only locally. 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. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i History The vast majority of the people of The Gambia are Moslems; but a sizeable percentage of the population, especially in and around the capital Banjul, are Christians. Let's look in-depth into these scholarships. began work in many parts of Africa. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. Under the Basel Missions Salem system, converts were separated from the traditional society. Missionaries travelled through dense evergreen forests, crossed rivers and climbed mountains to bring the Gospel to as many Ghanaians as they could. The others include the French trading posts at Grand Bassam (Ivory Coast), Assinie and Libreville in Gabon. The Methodists founded the Boys High School in 1874, and another high school for girls six years later. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. 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. Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. 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. Listen as we explore missions, theology, and practice to help senders and goers alike. While living at the Divine Word Residence in Bordentown, N.J., he often visited parishes and schools to talk about missionary work. This study simply offers systematic, long-term evidence of it. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana. Etherington, Norman. 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. Hildebrandt, Jonathan. He professed vows in 1953 in Conesus, N.Y., and was ordained to the priesthood in 1961 at Techny, Ill. African prose It is important for several reasons. In fact, the Christian missionaries encouraged Ghanaians to reject African names and choose Christian names instead. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. The work of the Basel Missionary Society was taken over with the consent of the Basel Mission Home Board by the United Free Church of Scotland whose ecclesiastical organization was Presbyterian. 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Contributions of Missionaries Towards Education in India However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. Already have a license? 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). In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. History books tended to exaggerate in achievements of Europeans, making no reference to Africans own great past. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. The Christian Connector Scholarship. 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. 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). The training college later became part of Achimota College. Africa Christian Press, 1996. Initially, a majority of the missionary journeys was done with English-Speaking Protestants and later, in the 1820s and 1830s, they were joined by continental Protestantism from Germany, Switzerland and France. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. 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. 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. PDF Religion Education and Development in Ghana - EA Journals Vol. 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. As churches of the Volta Region begin reproducing, ABWE wants to reach out to Ghanas unreached people groups in its eight other regions. which were for females (Graham, 1971). The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. Hope Waddell was later joined by the Rev. (As at December 2020). Wm. The activities of the early Christian missionaries negatively affected the development of African traditional political institutions. Ralph teaches English for Academic Purposes (EAP) online. Within a short time the missionaries spread their activities inland. Catholic Higher Education and Mission in Nigeria: The Contributions of ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. Then lets begin straightaway. 6: Christian Missionary Activities in West Africa Your email address will not be published. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. The pastors of the Church Missionary Society, from Badagry and later from Sierra Leone, visited these Christian communities in Abeokuta and other towns. The people received the message with indifference. For terms and use, please refer to our Terms and Conditions Prior to the advent of western education, Ghana's traditional social structures had inbuilt opportunities for mobility. senior high school government In fact, most of the norms opposed by missionaries concerned gender relationships. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. They also introduced vocational education in the country. 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. Furthermore, each denomination had differing policies on education, so standards in education fluctuated across each colony, depending on what denomination had schools in each area. Lewis, Donald M., ed. They provided missionaries a way to spread Eurocentric norms and attract new converts. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. 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. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. mock tests Registered office: Creative Tower, Fujairah, PO Box 4422, UAE. 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. The positive contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana can be felt in such areas as education, local language development, stoppage of outmoded cultural practices, agriculture and commerce. Are you ready to discover the points for an essay on the contribution of the Christian mission to the social and economic development of Ghana? Success followed the efforts of the pioneer missionaries. S.J. There were no Bibles in local languages, likewise grammar books were scant, so the missionaries had to spend time learning local languages, and translated the Bible and wrote series of grammar books. 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). In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. For example, they preached against human sacrifice. 'In view of this idea, Mmofraturo, the first girls boarding school in Ashanti was officially . 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. Non-African Poetry A permanent station was established in Lagos in 1868, soon followed by others at Lokoja, Abeokuta and Ibadan. The Journal of Negro Education, 2019 The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. 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. 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. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. I wanted to buy a smartphone for him, but when he got to know the price of the cell phone, he humbly declined. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. One Liberian student recalls that we were taught to dress properly, to eat properly, to speak properly. Discipleship and leadership development are needed in order to support local churches and their growth in Ghana. Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause.