The Christian Connector Scholarship. These commercial activities, therefore, made an important contribution to the economic development of Ghana. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. While the Evangelical Presbyterian missionaries were the First to develop literature in Ewe, the Roman Catholics were responsible for Nzima literature. These trends occasionally brought kings into conflict with the missionaries and their converts. As happened in other colonial territories, the government did not show great interest in the provision of education in Ghana until the missionaries had extended their services throughout the country and had set up primary schools and a few secondary schools and training colleges. Waterville Pub. Mission Statement For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. It was also terribly hard for a woman to be driven away, and to lose her status in the society where she is respected as a wife and a mother. A notable example was the Asafo Company, a purely military and social organisation of the peoples of Ghana, which was condemned by the early missionaries because of its presumed connection with fetish practices. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. Cultural deprivation is what many of us suffer from []. Included on the website is information about the charitys programs, such as their Leadership Development Program in which participants earn a degree in their chosen field of study, and participate in Christian leadership training, enabling them to become a fully developed agent of change in their nation (Compassion Canada 2011). By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. 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. Its general scope extends to both Roman Catholic as well as Protestant missionaries in relation to education works. Here you can choose which regional hub you wish to view, providing you with the most relevant information we have for your specific region. 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. Listen as we explore missions, theology, and practice to help senders and goers alike. This conditioning was focused on norms that missionaries deemed incompatible with a Christian way of life. better grades Lack of transport from the coast to the interior parts of West Africa was one of the major difficulties encountered by the missionaries. West African Senior School Certificate Examination. Two other training colleges opened by the missionaries, in the early days, were the Wesley College in Kumasi (1922) and the Roman Catholic Training College at Amisano, near Elmina (1931) which in 1936 moved to the campus of the newly founded secondary school, St Augustines College at Cape Coast. West Africa and Christianity. The coming of the Christian missionaries to Ghana had a positive impact on agriculture. 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. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. senior high school crs They constitute the benefits that the missionaries brought to Africa as a whole. In Fanteland, the Methodists and Roman Catholics pioneered similar works. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. However, by the turn of the Nineteenth Century there was systematic efforts by churches of Christian Europe, namely: Anglicans, Methodists, and Baptists who were active in Sierra Leone and, with Presbyterians, in Nigeria, while Methodists also set up missions in Ghana, Gambia, and Dahomey. Ayandele (1966:283), writing in the 1960s, says, By their [the missions] efforts the main languages of Nigeria have been preserved as a lasting legacy to the Ibo, Yoruba, Efik, Nupe and Hausa. However, this practice was in fact probably more due to stereotypes of African ignorance than an interest in being culturally respectful: missionaries may have believed that it would take too long to teach a superior European language to the unintelligent natives when the natives souls were in such desperate need of saving. The common response among traditionally polygamous people is well illustrated by a passage in Jomo Kenyattas famous book on the Gikuyu in colonial Kenya: This [the insistence on monogamy] caused a great confusion, for the African could not understand how he could drive away his wives and children, especially in a community where motherhood is looked upon as a religious duty; the children are regarded as part and parcel, not only of the father, but of the whole clan (mbari), and without them the mbari is lost. And yet the Asafo provided most of the services which a community needed: protection against military attacks, communal services, etc. They worked to write the bible, dictionaries and textbooks in such Ghanaian Languages as Ewe, Fanti, Ga and Twi. 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. This Western education imparted to the Ameru by the Church of Scotland Missionaries, Consolata . Some earlier scholarship on mission education has taken this as a positive impact of the missionaries. 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. 1931. The missions agricultural schools were especially beneficial for colonial governments considering that governments believed that manual labour was a means to prevent discontent and unrest in the tribes (Hansen 1984:232). As a mission school graduate noted, local history was almost totally ignored. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. It is one of the oldest continuously published periodicals by and about Black people. The greatest problem faced by the early European Christian missionaries was, the tropical climate and health Hazards. 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). Call: +233558280780, Your email address will not be published. We're here to answer any questions you have about our services. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. He also blogs at BloggingtotheMax.com. He knew me as a boy [in Ghana] who washed his car and went with him when he said Mass at mission stations, yet [as an adult] he treated me as an equal, Father Tetteh said. Copyright 2003 - 2023 - UKEssays is a trading name of Business Bliss Consultants FZE, a company registered in United Arab Emirates. 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 . Required fields are marked *. His request to the Danish Crown for missionaries was forwarded to . These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. 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. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. Rev. The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. How to Get Involved in Church Missions: The Ultimate Guide, 16 Causes of Crime Essay (with Solutions), Justify the Title of the Novel Second Class Citizen, The Role of Ghana in the Formation of the OAU, Economic Developments in Ghana Before Independence, 11 Causes of the Rise of Nationalism in Africa, Importance of the Odwira Festival in Ghana. 0 He introduced the Methodist Church in Asante in 1839, and won the support of the Asante king, Otumfour Nana Kweku Duah I who reigned between 25th August 1834 to 27th April 1867). House, 1967. Wm. Literature 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. At the time of its inception, however, there was no publication that systematically or comprehensively addressed the enormous problems that characterized the education of Blacks in the United States and elsewhere. station in 1858, it was not until 1889 that the missionaries entered Hausaland, which was predominantly Muslim. 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. Isichei, Elizabeth. It is important for several reasons. Schools were deemed important. 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). Containing 9,566 pages belonging to 77 documents housed in 6 volumes As outlined in the short history entitled. Email: henrydonsco@gmail.com Prior to the advent of western education, Ghana's traditional social structures had inbuilt opportunities for mobility. 2 Longman Group Ltd. London 1974, Ampadu B.K Notes on History of Ghana for Senior High Schools. Kalu, Ogbu. Again, the Wesleyan missionaries established Mfantsipim School in Cape Coast in 1876. Lets now take a closer look at both the positive and negative impacts of the activities of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and the rest of Africa. He worked zealously as an evangelist and schoolmaster in the Castle School until his death in 1816. Development of Education in Sierra Leone. essay writing 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). 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. The three models of Secondary education in Ghana since colonial times are the Mfantsipim School founded by the Church (mission) in 1876, Achimota School in 1927 established by the British Colonial government Economics Not only did mission education strengthen colonial rule, but it also weakened traditional societies and implemented poor standards of Western education. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . The next major Christian missionaries to go out to Sierra Leone were the Roman Catholics. 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. skills for his or her future role in the society (Hetherington, 1979; Davidoff, 1980; Aboagye, 1997). With the arrival of more missions into the country came an explosion in mission schools across southern Ghana. Early missions conducted by Roman Catholics were short-lived. "Big things have small beginnings"; so is The Presbyterian Church of Ghana. One of them, Philip Quaque, returned in 1765 as an ordained priest. This single problem made the missionary work very difficult. Next, branches of the C.M.S. A short history of education in British West Africa. 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. 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. However, with time, they brought some crops, which they cultivated and which sustained them. Prominent among the early Christian missionaries to come to the Gold Coast (Ghana) were the Roman Catholic, Methodist, Basel, Bremen and Anglican missions. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. Founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen, we number more than 6,000 missionaries. In addition to studying the impact of these struggles on education, we also need to understand how they influenced gender inequality. They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. The missionary activities in Nigeria, especially their educational programs helped to whip-up the consciousness of a shared identity and helped to train a new set of elite that championed the course of nationalism and constituted a virile leadership for the young nation at independence.Click to see full answer What is missionary education?A mission school or [] 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. opened, in Freetown, the first boys secondary school in the country and another for girls in 1849, later renamed the Annie Walsh Memorial School. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. The traditions and values of the community, as well as the meaning of life, were taught to the child. The early success of the missionaries included areas like Freetown and surrounding villages. Longman Group Ltd. London and Basingstoke, 1986, Fage, J.D. In 1827 it grew into Fourah Bay College. They need YOU. 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. 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. A large percentage of Ghanas 30 million people are nominally Christian (more than 70% as of the last census), and 28% consider themselves evangelical believers. Government & Politics All rights reserved. Missionaries and the intellectual history of Africa: a historical survey. Itinerario 7, no. WAEC In the 19thh century, too, Afro-Brazilians returned to Benin and Nigeria with Catholicism. 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. These pioneer mission schools met with a discouraging response. The early African converts to Christianity, were made to abandon their ancestral culture and way of life as pagan therefore to be shunned. Instead of adapting the teachings and practices of the new religion to suit indigenous values, as it did when the same Christian religion adopted Greek, Roman, German and Anglo-Saxon native practices, the early Christian missionaries condemned totally as pagan, and to be avoided by their converts, whatever they considered strange. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. The kingdom of God in Africa: A short history of African Christianity. Before we examine the contribution of Christian missionaries in Ghana, we need to identify the missionaries that came to Ghana. A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. 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. Lake Volta provides a vital venue for aviation evangelism in remote areas. Another reason why the Europeans came to spread the Christian religion in Ghana was to pave their own way into eternal glory. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. 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. Barely ten years later, after the first missionaries arrived, the Methodists, for example, had started a station as far inland as MacCarthy Island. (As at December 2020). Father Tetteh also took note of Father Burkes humility and devotion to his students. Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropong on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. Who is Mrs. Konrad in Second Class Citizen? senior high school history Groundless fears that the converts would become contaminated with paganism led some of the Christian missionaries, notably the Presbyterians, to separate the Christians from the rest of the township. The European Christian missions preached the Gospel, built churches, and seminaries translated the Bible to Ghanaian Languages such as Ewe, Ga, and Twi. 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. Besides education, they cared for the sick. For three years, he taught English and biblical ethics. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. Alignment is the degree of congruence between your teaching philosophy and your institution's mission. But the funds and other needed materials even when available could not reach their station in time. 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, one of the first groups of missionaries to introduce organised medical services were the Roman Catholics. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. English for life For instance, the Basel Mission established Basel Mission Trading Company (UTC) in 1859. Find below a list of mission schools that still exist in Ghana today. Ghana continued to call. %PDF-1.7 % Teacher training colleges in Ghana did not expand as fast as the secondary schools. Establishment of Christian Churches In Ghana. In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. In addition to promoting a monogamous lifestyle in their schools, missionaries often insisted on divorces before polygamists or their children could even enrol. 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. Secondary Schools in the Protectorate started later, following the establishment of Bo Government Secondary School in 1906. 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. The Basel Mission, as a result of this phenomenal expansion trained many local personnel to man the new stations. What would have happened if missionaries had not insisted on monogamy? Again, in West-Africa, the efforts to go beyond the coast to reach those inland with the gospel coincided with the southwards expansion of Islam which posed some threat to the expansion of the work of Christian evangelizing missions. 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. university courses Please read our privacy policy to find out more. 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. 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. The missionaries condemned African religion, music, art, festivals and customary practices. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. 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 .