Initially, their activities focused on coastal areas. 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. Renewed evangelism started when the Basel (later known as Presbyterian) missionaries started work at Osu (Accra). Find below a list of mission schools that still exist in Ghana today. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. They worked tirelessly to lay a foundation for formal education The European missionaries established elementary and second-cycle institutions in the country. The education provided in schools in early days also tended to place great emphasis on the superiority of western culture. The traditions and values of the community, as well as the meaning of life, were taught to the child. They preferred to hold onto polygamy, even at the cost of illiteracy. Box 2 of the papers relating to the Society's activities in West Africa. Mission Statement Shaw, Mark. One reason why the Christian missionaries came to Ghana and the rest of Africa was to convert the people to the Christian faith. The people received the message with indifference. 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. 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. self help Their records from World War One show their distance from the war and yet that it did affect . Almost all the missions in West Africa faced financial problems in the early stages of their missionary work. They also prescribed many taboos which, in the light of modern medical science, had no relation whatever with the illness being treated. Success followed the efforts of the pioneer missionaries. 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. The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. Hundreds of believers were baptized, branches organized, and a mission established. The Christian missionaries of different missionary societies made a tremendous contribution to education in South Africa. Your email address will not be published. The Christian missionaries have been credited with the discontinuation of some obnoxious traditional practices among Ghanaians. John G. Christaller (described as the Father of Twi Literature) produced a Twi grammar and dictionary, a collection of Twi proverbs, a Twi translation of the Bible as well as prayers and hymns. In conclusion, the converts tended to look down upon many things in their ancestral culture. further studies Soon after, in 1835 they moved up to Akropon on the hills in Akuapem, where the pioneer missionary the Rev. Series CLS. These contradictions are surprisingly absent from contemporary research. 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. These Christian converts considered themselves to be holier than their traditional rulers and elders. CUP Archive, 1979. By focusing on the African demand for education, I showed that Africans were not just passive recipients of mission schooling. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. In traditionally monogamous societies, primary school completion increased by about eight percent, but only four percent in polygamous societies. 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. Christian missionaries were the first to introduce European-style education in sub-Saharan Africa. Founded in 1875 by St. Arnold Janssen, we number more than 6,000 missionaries. The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who focus on missionary work. This is the famous Presbyterian Teacher Training College founded in 1848 at Akropong-Akwapim. For example, the missionaries preached against certain aspects of African culture they considered barbaric or satanic or both. The school, which was established the year of independence in 1957, was a work in progress. 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. Father Vincent Burke SVD, 83, recipient of Ghanas Officer of the Order of Volta Award, passed away at Techny, Ill., on Sept. 21. The role of the Christian missionaries in Ghana and West Africa was not limited to the education and agricultural sectors alone. 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. First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. And traditionally polygamous societies would have higher educational outcomes today. The American Episcopal Evangelical (A.M.E.) Zion Church owes its foundation in Ghana to Bishop J. Bryan Small, who started work first at Keta in 1898. The coming of the Christian missionaries to Ghana had a positive impact on agriculture. Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. It is much easier to interact on an equal basis or even challenge the authority of another group when one is able to communicate in that groups language, instead of having to rely on an interpreter or non-verbal gestures, which undermine ones ability to show authority or express ones beliefs. He was followed, three years afterwards, by the Rev. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. 0
. The third, St Nicholas Grammar School (now Adisadel College), was founded by the Anglican Church in 1910. 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). 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. Another important missionary doctor was J. R. Stephen who for many years headed a missionary hospital at Ilesha. In 1981, Father Burke was promoted to headmaster and rector of Pope John XXIII Secondary School and Minor Seminary in Koforidua. The problems created by the white missionaries themselves arose largely from a misconception of what Africa represented. Wm. Today almost all of the population is Presbyterian, although the ancestral royal cult and many spirit cults still flourish. Kalu, Ogbu. And thats why I decided to look deeply into this issue. They had to speak through few interpreters who did not have sufficient education to interpret correctly. Debrunner, Hans Werner. Burns & Oates, 1979. 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). In 1845 the C.M.S. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. 4>Ofv}TMdQ! In the days of Portuguese contacts with Nigeria, Catholic priests had established missionary stations in Benin and the neighbourhood. 3 (2002): 555-584. Andreas Riis, assisted by a team of West Indian evangelists, laid the foundations of the Basel Missionary Church in the country. 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? Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. bible knowledge For more than a year, Ghanaian Saints continued to practice their faith in their homes. They discovered that the holy book did not clearly prescribe monogamy, and contained several examples of renowned Christian polygamists. In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. The study examines the historical foundations of Western education in Meru and factors that influenced its development. The most momentous discovery in western Africa came in 1471, when Portuguese captains first reached the coast of modern Ghana between the mouths of the Ankobra and Volta rivers. Within ten years the C.M.S had opened twelve more schools in what is today Cross Rivers State. Joseph Dunwell. It was difficult for the European missionaries to communicate freely with the local people. 1 (1971): 103-115. However, as Jonathan Miran (2002) argues in his work on the roles of missionaries and the Italian state in Eritrean education, missionaries should not be held solely accountable for the poor standards of education. Already have a license? Brief History. 2006 - 2023 Microform Academic Publishers | Microform Academic Publishers is a division of Microform Imaging Limited (Company registered in England no. wassce literature questions. The Wesleyan and Basel missionaries established schools in Cape Coast, Accra . 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. They relied very much on their home churches for their funds. Furthermore, they were skilled farmers that could grow cash crops to be consumed back in the mother country, such as cocoa from Ghana (Foster 1965: 153). As a member of the Church of England, it interests me to see echoes of Christian educational efforts by organizations such as Compassion Canada in the educational efforts of the missionary branch of the Anglican Church, the Church Missionary Society, or CMS. As long as the Africans could read the Bible, the missionaries were satisfied that they had had enough academic education. We've received widespread press coverage since 2003, Your UKEssays purchase is secure and we're rated 4.4/5 on reviews.co.uk. 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. His work, however, did not extend much beyond Cape Coast and the neighbouring area. That missionaries used the vernacular illustrates the fact that missionaries were principally evangelists, and that they considered their other roles, including their role as educators, as less important. Some of these effects are still with us today. It is obvious that the main reason why the missionaries came to Ghana was to convert the indigenous people to the Christian faith. The European missionaries believed that European culture was superior to African culture. EVANGELICAL MOVEMENTS AND MISSIONARY SOCIETIES IN THE ENGLISH COLONIES. This allowed me to estimate the impact of mission schooling directly. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Your email address will not be published. Thus, because of the motive of proselytization, unqualified teachers, and inter-denominational rivalry, missions frequently provided poor education. Purchase a license below to view the full collection. These attempts were traumatic for the students and threatened the survival of unique cultures. The training college later became part of Achimota College. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. Vol. 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. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. Free resources to assist you with your university studies! Copyright 2023 ABWE. It would be wrong, however, to blame all these ills on the Christian missionaries alone. New missionary societies (the LMS, the CMS, the Holy Ghost Fathers, the White Fathers, etc.) WAEC Origins, organization and effects in the development of West Africa, 3: Islam in West Africa. Although there were many disagreements between European missionaries and African populations, antagonising polygamy is probably the best-documented norm conflict. Andrew Jackson Foster (1925-1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. famous poems The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. Establishment of Christian Churches In Sierra Leone. African prose Study for free with our range of university lectures! Another important Catholic missionary in this area was the Irishman, Bishop Shanahan. 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.
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