As churches of the Volta Region begin reproducing, ABWE wants to reach out to Ghanas unreached people groups in its eight other regions. Government & Politics In the same year as the Basel missionaries settled in Akuapem in 1835, the Wesleyan (later Methodist) Church was established at Cape Coast by the Rev. Joseph Dunwell. They therefore set about to achieve this through introduction of formal education among the Batswana people. In 2011 at age 77, he retired from teaching and returned to the United States. 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. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. They did a lot to impact the social and economic lives of Africans. In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. 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). 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. In addition, while missionaries did run many academic primary schools, they provided little secondary education, a practice which prevented natives from becoming too educated (Ayandele 1966:286) and potentially subversive. Besides being an online tutor, Ralph is an author and expert digital marketer with proven skills in SEO content writing. Therefore the period for the rise of Christianizing Missions in the late Nineteenth Century has been considered as reprise. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. It is possible to hear the tune of this missionary hymn. ABWE first began work in Ghana with a goal to reach unchurched Ghanaians in the Volta Region with the gospel and then to expand evangelism efforts to other parts of the country. This was because all the ships that came to the coast at that time were owned by trading firms and companies whose interest were basically on trade. We shall begin with the positive contribution of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. No plagiarism, guaranteed! Properly meant by Anglo-Saxon standards. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. hbbd```b``vd d"e ] DrI`5 d"(/ One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. But Annor (1989) writes that before Europeans came to colonize Africa, Africans had a way of producing artifacts. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. Prior to the arrival of Europeans in the 15th century, informal education existed in Ghana with the goal of introducing young people into the society. When he arrived in Nkwatia-Kwahu to teach English at St. Peters Secondary School, the town had yet to benefit from electricity and running water. In 1950 Albert Academy was founded in Freetown; for-a long lime it was the secondary school in the Colony serving largely children from the provinces, among them were the future heads of state, Sir Milton Margai and Dr. Siaka Stevens. Rev. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in the name of Father Burke can be made for the care of elderly and infirm missionaries and sent to The Rector, Divine Word Residence, 1901 Waukegan Road, P.O. The expansion of the missionary movement into Africa was part of the growing conception of Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. Another reason why the Europeans came to spread the Christian religion in Ghana was to pave their own way into eternal glory. While they frowned upon bridewealth, female genital cutting, or matrilineality, they held a special grudge against polygamy. In 1954, he became the first Deaf African American to earn a bachelor's degree from Gallaudet University, the American university for the Deaf, and the first to earn a master's degree from Eastern Michigan University.He earned a second master's degree from Seattle Pacific Christian . Europe in those days looked upon Africa as the Dark Continent with very primitive civilizations, and most Europeans refused to adapt their religion to suit the local situation. hR]0+^$%K{_"/HevgV+bH6L %)`\ #\E*63Z_TsxlRZj:[/\IL-1b-i The early missionaries set up craft centres as part of their educational programmes. Apart from the extreme south and the Horn, the interior was hardly touched by Europeans before the last quarter of the Nineteenth Century. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. The Methodists, known as the Wesleyan Missionaries (after their founder), arrived in Freetown in 1811. . The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. This post may contain affiliate links. life skills 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. It is obvious that the main reason why the missionaries came to Ghana was to convert the indigenous people to the Christian faith. The high temperatures coupled with high rainfall patterns in some parts of the country experienced during the daytime, made the missionaries stay indoors, which slowed down their activities. Please read our privacy policy to find out more. 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. Father Vincent Burke SVD, 83, recipient of Ghanas Officer of the Order of Volta Award, passed away at Techny, Ill., on Sept. 21. 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). Many missionaries died because of the climate and tropical disease. They need YOU. Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect their decisions. In many instances, they made their converts rebel against traditional rulers and other spiritual leaders. However hypocritical, government support for the schools should not be surprising, considering the benefits the colonial governments stood to gain. About the same time, the Church of Scotland (Presbyterian) headed by the Rev. For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. We shall now turn our attention to the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana. Looking for a flexible role? government questions 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. Contribution of Christian Missionaries in Ghana, Reasons Why Christian Missionaries Came to Africa, Discontinuation of Outmoded Cultural Practices, Negative Effects of Missionary Activities, Negative Impact on Traditional Authorities, Limited Support for The Production of Local Food Crops. Thank you! 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. 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. Besides education, they cared for the sick. 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 an ironic twist, the more Africans became versed in the Bible, the more they began to challenge missionaries. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? Christianity reborn: the global expansion of evangelicalism in the twentieth century. Baker Pub Group, 1996. WhatsApp : +233204700052 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. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. 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. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. 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. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). Establishment of Christian Churches In The Gambia. Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the Gold Coast from the 15th century. past questions 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. ASSESS THE CONTRIBUTION OF THE CHRISTIAN MISSION TO THE DEVELOPMENT OF GHANA. which were for females (Graham, 1971). The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. C.M.S. Similar organizations were formed in several other European countries. This finding was supported by two types of analysis. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education. Lack of transport from the coast to the interior parts of West Africa was one of the major difficulties encountered by the missionaries. 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. In 1925 the Governor introduced measures which helped the efforts of the missionaries. 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? In 1989-90, the government banned the activities of several religious organizations, including the Church. Unsurprisingly, the level of education increased as one moved closer to the missionaries. A history of Christianity in Ghana. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. Theres still so much to be learned from the history of education in Africa and its long-term consequences. Senior High School Literature Last, missionaries provided a very poor education, causing their students to be ill-equipped for social or material success, as they believed education to simply be a means for proselytization, were unqualified teachers, and allowed inter-denominational rivalries to interfere. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Economics 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. self help Another negative impact of mission education was that it weakened traditional societies, which in many ways further served the colonial cause. It started first among the Yoruba recaptives who had embraced the Christian faith while in Sierra Leone (freed from slave trading ships by the British Royal Naval Squadron), and who returned home between 1839 and 1845. DISCLOSURE. Listen as we explore missions, theology, and practice to help senders and goers alike. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. Therefore, whether through their rigid educational polices or lack thereof, colonial governments contributed to the poor education, though there is no denying that missionaries also contributed to the quality of education to a great extent. According to the Head of the Methodist Church in Ghana, Mmofraturo was established in Kumasi, 'when it dawned on the early Wesleyan Missionaries that when the girl child was educated, she could grow up to face the challenges of the fast-changing world. 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. 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. 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. Operating from Whydah in what is today the Peoples Republic of Benin (formerly Dahomey), Father Berghero, in 1860, visited Abeokuta and Lagos where freed Catholic slaves from Brazil welcomed him warmly. They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. Later that year, in recognition of his service to the Ghanaian people, President John Dramani Mahama bestowed the honor of Officer of the Order of Volta upon him. 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. 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. 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. Do you have a 2:1 degree or higher? Renewed evangelism started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. Schools were deemed important. 517 0 obj <>/Filter/FlateDecode/ID[<2E41B338ACB2B2110A00B08D5A5CFE7F>]/Index[503 20]/Info 502 0 R/Length 86/Prev 357984/Root 504 0 R/Size 523/Type/XRef/W[1 3 1]>>stream Debate Speech: Religion Has Failed Society, A Speech Outlining the Achievements and Problems of Your School, 7 Factors Accounting for the Shortage of Capital In West Africa, The Resurrection of Jesus According to Marks Gospel. This involved learning to read in the vernacular (Hadfield cited in Bone 1969:7). First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. 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. university courses 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. A tiny act of kindness is remembered by a young man in need. Please click this link to download the chapter. Thomas Thompson, arrived in Cape Coast in 1752. One is led to ask, why this sudden development? adult education Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. 522 0 obj <>stream Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. To their minds, Africans were too backward and needed help to become more civilized. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. 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. In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. 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. Before 1925, there were only three secondary schools and three teacher training colleges in Ghana. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. 2006 - 2023 Microform Academic Publishers | Microform Academic Publishers is a division of Microform Imaging Limited (Company registered in England no. In Nigeria, one of the lasting works of the C.M.S. Chapter by Chapter Summaries of Second Class Citizen, 22 Reading Comprehension Past Questions and Answers, Second Class Citizen Summarized: Plot Summary, Themes & Characters, 50+ List of Characters in Second Class Citizen, Top 7 Reasons for the Colonization of Africa, 90+ Likely Grammatical Name (Past) Questions and Answers, Black Woman Analyzed: Subject Matter, Themes and Poetic Devices, Analysis of Bat: Meaning, Themes and Poetic Devices, 20+ Sample WASSCE English Summary Questions and Answers, Chapter 2 Summary of Second Class Citizen, Bookshop: High School Textbooks for Sale (PDF), English Language Audio Lessons Free (mp3), Download Key WASSCE PDFs, E-Books and More, July 2002 WAEC Economics Questions and Answers, 2001 WAEC Economics Questions and Answers (Nov-Dec), WASSCE 2000 Economics Questions and Answers, WASSCE 2002 Economics Past Questions and Answers, Is It You and Me or You and I? if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[250,250],'cegastacademy_com-large-mobile-banner-1','ezslot_15',609,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-cegastacademy_com-large-mobile-banner-1-0');The European missionaries began their activities in Ghana as far back as the early fifteenth century. senior high school English Containing 9,566 pages belonging to 77 documents housed in 6 volumes As outlined in the short history entitled. 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. "Big things have small beginnings"; so is The Presbyterian Church of Ghana. They constitute the benefits that the missionaries brought to Africa as a whole. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. The Church had its strongest hold in the Senegambia area. Longman Nigeria Plc., 1994, Boahen, A.A. et al Tropics in West Africa History. 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. The European Christian missions preached the Gospel, built churches, and seminaries translated the Bible to Ghanaian Languages such as Ewe, Ga, and Twi. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. 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 . Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. 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. Some of these effects are still with us today. Postdoctoral Researcher at the University of Bremen, Research Center on Inequality and Social Policy (SOCIUM), Universitt Bremen. J. C. Taylor, in these parts of southern Nigeria can still be seen today. 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. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. Of the ten largest congregations for men, the Society of the Divine Word is the fastest growing over the past 50 years. They were followed by other major missionary bodies, including the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help! 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. cited in Miran 2002:128). ABWE is also at work in countries that restrict evangelism. The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. The Basel missionaries arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1828 and Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. Earlier in 1846, the Rev. Waterville Pub. 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. 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). Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. In 2006, Father Burke was appointed lecturer at the newly founded Catholic University College of Ghana in Sunyani. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. From simple essay plans, through to full dissertations, you can guarantee we have a service perfectly matched to your needs. Initially, their activities focused on coastal areas. Copyright 2023 ABWE. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. Besides, the missionaries had to travel longer distances to inland towns from their southern stations. endstream endobj startxref In Sierra Leone, among the earliest higher institutions which the C.M.S. 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. wassce literature questions. Ghana continued to call. The Basel Mission. 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. But that increase was greater in monogamous societies. hb```,,g@( B(Pi xD r[e}v'$ImK *e()dP#jjTNl=VtN(%!30p0040tt0B GGc2m2@M``a$]x2\YkvIaB1b`h6f` (eAKPU d Again, the missionaries helped to pacify Africans while their rich natural resources were being plundered by the colonial government. homework help Specifically, it addresses the unique role of Christian missions in. The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. As a mission school graduate noted, local history was almost totally ignored. 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. 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. In short, it was a very successful mission in making us little black Anglo-Saxon Protestants. African Drama Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. African poetry 0 Over time and with the dedication of teachers like Father Burke, the school rose to prominence. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. However, the discovery of quinine and other curative medicines in the late 19th century made the history of the missionary work in West Africa a different thing altogether. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. 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). They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. These included the Baptist missionaries who under the American evangelist, Thomas Bowen, started work from Ogbomosho in 1855. Although Lokoja had a small C.M.S. 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. For instance, in Ghana, it was in 1858 that Rev. In the Gambia, as happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the Gospel alone. Prior to the advent of western education, Ghana's traditional social structures had inbuilt opportunities for mobility. Your email address will not be published. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. To apply, students simply fill out a quick form. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. Moreover, they introduced new crops into the Ghanaian economy. Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. Some of the missionaries came with them (549 years ago) but many died from the cruel tropical weather of forested West Africa. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. His funeral Mass was Sept. 27, followed by burial at St. Mary Cemetery at Techny.