The Society of the Divine Word is the world's largest Roman Catholic order of priests and brothers who focus on missionary work. There were related organizations that sprang up in Scandinavia, Holland and the USA. 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. JNE sustains a commitment to a threefold mission: first, to stimulate the collection and facilitate the dissemination of facts about the education of Black people; second, to present discussions involving critical appraisals of the proposals and practices relating to the education of Black people; and third, to stimulate and sponsor investigations of issues incident to the education of Black people. Moreover, the Islamic religion was also being introduced to the southern section of the country by Muslim immigrants from the north of the colony. Unlike the Portuguese, the French colonial officials encouraged the Christian missionaries in the promotion of formal education and social services, notably health. Important among these, all in Lagos, were the Baptist Academy in 1855, the C.M.S. Soon after the start of elementary schools, the missionaries started opening higher institutions also. S.J. Christianity in West Africa: The Nigerian Story. I well remember when he came to live with me in Trenton. This thesis discusses and assesses contribution of Christian Missionaries to education in Meru from 1908 to 1963. Crampton, Edmund Patrick Thurman. 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. ), Father Auguste Moreau and Father Eugene Murat, arrived at Elmina and revived the Roman Catholic Church in Ghana. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. The resulting atmosphere of disunity enabled the European colonialists to easily achieve their goal of economic exploitation. Looking for a flexible role? NUUT Co. Ltd. Kumasi, Ghana, 2011, Baarkinado. In the Gambia, the Methodist missionary and first principal of what later became known as the Gambia High School, the Rev. His request to the Danish Crown for missionaries was forwarded to . Notably among these missionaries are the Wesleyan, Basel, and Bremen. 1991. opened was the Christian Institute, established in 1814 for the training of teachers, catechists and priests. senior high school English Initially,. Meanwhile, the Scottish missionary, Mary Slessor, had established a reputation in the Cross River area as a nurse. They were closed down in 1852 in favour of schools opened in Lagos which, in 1851, had one time British control. 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. student life English comprehension Lastly, the missionaries were not used to eating our local foods. 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). 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. Often drumming and the harmless songs and dances of the people were condemned. Henry Townsend who went from Sierra Leone to Badagry in 1842 in his company was the Rev Ajayi Crowther. Similar developments were carried out by the missionaries in other Nigerian languages, Efik, Kanuri, Igbo, etc. The blessings which Christianity has brought to West Africa are many. Brief History. grammatical name The school, which was established the year of independence in 1957, was a work in progress. It was not until the nineteenth century, that the new religion was really established in West Africa. One of their scholarships is a drawing for $2,500. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. 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. An Alumnus of the University of Cape Coast in Ghana, a Journalist, Author and a Philanthropist. 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. First, I looked at how educational outcomes depended on the distance to historical missions. The result is that today, many Africans are alienated from their authentic ways of life. crs questions and anwers The others included the Christian responsibility for the regeneration of African peoples. They even considered traditional drumming and African clothing as practices that were not worthy in the sight of the Lord. endstream endobj startxref By February 2, 1918, all Basel missionaries had been deported from the Gold Coast. The foreign exchange earnings helped to develop Ghanas infrastructure. 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. In Ghana the Presbyterians were pioneers in reducing Ga and Twi into . They were followed in turn by the Methodists and the Roman Catholics. 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. bible knowledge The Basel missionaries arrived on the shores of the Gold Coast in 1828 and Vol. cited in Miran 2002:128). Listen as we explore missions, theology, and practice to help senders and goers alike. 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. In fact in 1966, Father Burke led students to a victory in a national educational contest called the Ghana TV Cup. J. G. Christaller produced a Twi Grammar and Dictionary. Full article: Inequality of education in colonial Ghana: European After more than 20 years at Pope John XXIII School, he returned to the United States and served as parochial vicar at Blessed Sacrament-Our Lady of the Divine Shepherd in Trenton, N.J., where he lived with Father Tetteh. 4; img 109. Metadata. In the British colonies, as elsewhere, religious missions were instrumental in introducing European-style education. senior high school economics The missionaries opened schools further inland, and by 1880, the Wesleyan Mission had eighty -three schools. Among his pioneering achievements, he arranged for three youths to be sent to England for training as evangelists. By using postcolonial theory as a framework for analysis, it is evident that the Western formal education introduced to the people of the Gold Coast by the Christian missionaries and the British Colonial government did not serve the indigenous population well. Mr. Henry Kwadwo Amoako is a Ghanaian Social Scientist, Researcher and Acclaimed Historian for over two decades. However, the early missionaries established medical centres, at first at their mission posts, and later far and wide, to attend to the sick. Mission education left an uneven legacy: an analysis of 26 African They were at the forefront during the fight for self-rule in Ghana. 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 From 1870 to 1914 the Basel Mission succeeded in extending its work from the Akwapim Ridge to Kwahu, Akim and Asante and across the Volta as far as Yendi the north in 1913. The first school in Nigeria was started by the Methodist missionaries at Badagry in 1842. Christian Missionaries and Education: Presbyterian Educational The Journal of Negro Education (JNE), a scholarly refereed journal, was founded at Howard University in 1932. The system was devoid of any cohesive national policy. Joseph Dunwell. 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. With the exception of the first two volumes, marked "West Africa", these items are drawn from the volumes Series CWW. Next, branches of the C.M.S. Roman Catholic and Anglican missionaries came to the Gold Coast from the 15th century. From 1835 to the middle of the nineteenth century the Church was in opposition to traditional religion. Among several others, the native Bishop Ajayi Crowther produced the first translation of the Bible in Yoruba. Foremost in the contribution of the early Christian missionaries to the development of Ghana is their efforts to bring Western education to Ghanaians. 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. Teacher Education in Ghana - SAGE Journals However, attending mission schools also meant exposure to colonial indoctrination. Ekechi, Felix K. Colonialism and Christianity in West Africa: The Igbo Case, 19001915. The Journal of African History 12, no. There were several reasons for this poor education, some intentional and some not. Help those suffering in Turkey and Syria. The original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. The History of Christianity in West Africa. The weakening of traditional societies was not simply a consequence of the efforts of missionaries but one of their main objectives, stemming from their belief in the civilizing mission. Supporters of the civilizing mission believed that European colonial enterprises were justified as the Europeans were imparting their superior Western culture and ideas to the ignorant heathens of Africa, Asia, the Americas and Australasia. Mission societies often expanded into territories before colonial powers did, and providing education only cost them a little more. As happened in other territories, the Christian missionaries did not confine their work to the spread of the gospel alone. It included the opening up of Africa to forces of change namely commerce (legitimate commerce, i.e. Disclaimer: This is an example of a student written essay.Click here for sample essays written by our professional writers. Hugh Goldie and William Anderson. The First Missionaries were sent as a result of a request by Major de Richelieu, Governor of Christiansborg. Under the Basel Missions Salem system, converts were separated from the traditional society. Ghana in Records from Colonial Missionaries, 1886-1951 The copies of letters received, 1890-1927, mention the plan from 1914 to gain control of future Ashanti Chiefs using education. Above, we have described the role that trading companies, missionaries, and the government played for the spread of Western education in the coastal areas from the late sixteenth century onwards. 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. Study for free with our range of university lectures! For example, they made our people view polygamy and puberty rites as pagan practices. We were expected to accept the European language as the superior one, and this was reinforced throughout my school career (Abu cited in Berman 1974:536). The government gave grants according to the strength of the staff and the efficiency of the school judged by inspection reports and the results of public examinations. Soon after the Methodist experiment, the church Missionary Society set up their own school at Badagry. 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). 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 original letters from abroad cover West Africa from 1899 to 1933. The work of the missionaries also had little success initially. Their personal and family choices influenced the expansion speed of missionary education. Containing 9,566 pages belonging to 77 documents housed in 6 volumes As outlined in the short history entitled. Mission schools were popular because of the new skills and opportunities they offered. After a time the idea becomes ingrained -it is heathen and unchristian to be an African culturally (Awori cited in Berman 1974:536). The Christian Connector Scholarship. others adopted a system of education varied from one and the other hence, lacking consistency in the educational sector [3]. 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. Reiterating what teacher education must encapsulate, Adegoke (2003) and Benneh (2006) indi-cated that the mission of Ghana's teacher education is to pro- This research was funded by the European Research Council. It is obvious that the main reason why the missionaries came to Ghana was to convert the indigenous people to the Christian faith. Ghana continued to call. She succeeded in stopping the killing of twins in the areas where she served. Hilliard, F.H., 1957. As much as the governments liked to assign blame to the missions, they were also accountable for the poor education through their educational policies. 2023 Society of the Divine Word. senior high school crs In 1845 the C.M.S. Missionary, educator contributed to building independent Ghana So why did the European missionaries come to Ghana and other parts of Africa? 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. Education in Ghana - Wikipedia Request Permissions. churches were firmly established in several important towns, such as Abeokuta (1846), Lagos (1851), Ibadan (1853), and Oyo (1856). They include Sierra Leone 1900-1933; Ghana 1903; Cape Verde 1904-1910; and St Vincent 1907-1912. Their luggage and other necessities had to be carried on heads and took a long time before reaching the missionaries. 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. Because of rivalry, instead of building one common, multi-denominational school in a village that really only needed the one school, missionaries each built a school for their particular denomination and competed for students (Berman 1974:533). Non-African Poetry A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. 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. In addition to contributing to fluctuating educational standards across the colony, inter-denominational rivalry caused a disparity in access to education. The South African War is not covered in this grouping of letters. The study traces the his tory of colonial education and the tremendous contributions of missionaries in the establishment of formal education in the region. The Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Methodist and Anglican missions all made a major contribution to education in Ghana and Africa as a whole. As an institution introduced by agents with radically different values, the Christian religion damaged the culture and traditional beliefs of the people of West Africa. 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 missionaries seemed to have concentrated much of their effort on the production of export crops. Contribution of the Methodist Church to education in Ghana homework help 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). This allowed me to estimate the impact of mission schooling directly. 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 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. It was not until 1909 that the government opened a teacher training college and a technical school in Accra. endstream endobj 504 0 obj <>>>/Lang(en)/MarkInfo<>/Metadata 55 0 R/Outlines 135 0 R/Pages 498 0 R/StructTreeRoot 142 0 R/Type/Catalog/ViewerPreferences<>>> endobj 505 0 obj <>/MediaBox[0 0 612 792]/Parent 499 0 R/Resources<>/Font<>/ProcSet[/PDF/Text/ImageC]/XObject<>>>/Rotate 0/StructParents 0/Tabs/S/Type/Page>> endobj 506 0 obj <>stream 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. In the case of Ghana, like other nations, the impact . All rights reserved. Operational Christianity started 267 Years ago. 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. The CMS began to work in the freed slave villages in Sierra Leone in 1804 and the Methodist in 1811. In 1858 the Rev. The churches opened primary schools both in the capital and in the rural communities. In Ghana, missions strategically weighted costs and benefits when choosing where to establish their churches and schools. 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. What are the contribution of the missionaries? - Alqatirat In addition, the contributions of celebrity missionaries, such as Christian Schwartz, William Carey, Alexander Duff, and James . Christian Missionaries. Thus as early as 1823, the Roman Catholic Sisters started a clinic for the sick and for children in Banjul. While colonial administration in colonies such as Kenya attempted to some degree to provide training for Kenyans to fill the high-level positions (Sheffield 1973:86), the attempts in many cases fell short, and when the European administration left, Kenya, for instance, had few sufficiently educated replacements (Sheffield 1973:88). The missionary and colonial education aimed at character training and civilization resulted in cultural annihilation and religious, and linguistic hegemony. Andrew Jackson Foster (1925-1987) was an American pioneer of deaf education in several countries in Africa. The governor had observed the bad moral life of the Europeans in the fort. Learn how your comment data is processed. Just look at the lyrics of this evangelizing song written in 1819 by Reginald Heber, a prolific English hymnist in the Anglican church. Wed love to get to know you and discuss how God is calling you. This study simply offers systematic, long-term evidence of it. The Basel and Methodist Missions, for example, introduced scientific agriculture in Ghana. Johann Christaller produced a similar work in Twi. Please click this link to download the chapter. In spite of the division, the parent Methodist missionary church played an important role in the history of Christianity in Sierra Leone. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. For instance, in the Salisbury region of Rhodesia, it was reported in 1924 that no male teachers had educational qualifications (Bone 1969:28). The Christian religion teaches the doctrine of one supreme God and is opposed to the worship of any other forms of deity. which were for females (Graham, 1971). *You can also browse our support articles here >. 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. A second reason for the poor education of the mission schools was that in many cases the teachers in mission schools were unqualified as teachers, but were instead preachers by training. It is simply one of the gross evils of heathen society which, like habitual murder or slavery, must at all costs be ended. English for life 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. A special memorial Mass was celebrated at the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Accra, Ghana, on Oct. 9. All rights reserved. In 1880, two Roman Catholic priests of the Society of African Missions (S.M.A. The statistical evidence suggests that education would have spread more evenly. As one Eritrean student remarks, Our sisters [the Italian Sisters] would have undoubtedly taught better and more, but the Italian government in the colony did not permit Eritreans to get good instruction (T.T. Being ignorant of the significance of certain institutions and practices of the people of West Africa, and occasionally being misled by their over-zealous followings into wrongly interpreting the peoples heritage, the missionaries compelled pupils in their schools and docile adult converts to shun their own ancestral practices. In regions where a denomination felt threatened by another denomination, the denominations were more likely to establish more schools in an attempt to gain more converts than their rival, while in regions such as northern Nigeria, where colonial policy prevented too much rivalry, schools were scarce (Bassey 1991:45). In such situations, the message sometimes appealed to the local people depending on the efficiency of the interpreter. . In due course leprosariums and orphanages were built to supplement their medical services. 2018). WAEC 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. 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. Bamgboye & Company Press, 1976. Thank you! African poetry 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. Buchi Emecheta The contribution of the missionaries to the development of Setswana as After completing that assignment, Father Burkes superiors asked him to teach English as a second language (ESL) to Divine Word missionaries who did not know the language. Cookies are small, safe and secure text files that sit on your computer which we use to give you a better experience on our site and help us improve the service that we provide to you. 2 (1983): 116-143. Moreover, speaking through interpreters is a defective means of communicating ones thoughts to ones audience. primarily purposed to outline the contributions of religion and education to national development in Ghana. Kalu, Ogbu. Being able to speak and write in the colonisers language was considered a privilege. Discipleship and leadership development are needed in order to support local churches and their growth in Ghana. Teaching in the vernacular had an additional use as it further strengthened colonial rule, of which missionaries were often agents, for as the Kikuyu people of Kenya were aware, [the] inability to communicate in English would be a crucial factor in the perpetuation of their subordinate status in the colony (Berman 1974:531). 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. One method of discouraging traditional practices was to give students a fully Western education. The consequences of norm conflicts are likely to manifest beyond educational pursuit. Born in Cambridge, Mass., in 1933, Vincent Burke was the third of Walter and Eleanor (nee McGoff) Burkes four sons. Establishment of Christian Churches In Nigeria. In 1910, a prominent report of the World Missionary Conference concluded: [T]here can be no question of polygamy. I also matched up locations that differed in proximity to the mission stations, but otherwise had similar preconditions for educational development. Our academic experts are ready and waiting to assist with any writing project you may have. After earlier unsuccessful attempts by the missionaries Chretien Proten, Henrick Huckuff and Jacobus Capitein, the Anglican, Rev. For that matter, they rebelled against their chiefs and elders. Literature A History of West Africa, Cambridge University Press, 1969, Fynn , J. K and R. Addo-Fening History for Senior Secondary schools. 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. This instruction in 1948 developed into the University College in Ibadan. Daystar Press, 1978. Soon after secondary schools were opened in other parts of southern Nigeria, including Bonny High School, which was taken over by government in 1904. PDF Challenges of Technical and Vocational Education and Training and Indeed, most of our early nationalists were all products of mission schools. I will earn a commission if you follow a link to purchase a product. For instance, the Basel Mission established the first teacher training college in Ghana. Today, human sacrifice is generally frowned upon and considered an abomination. With the support of the Propagation of the Faith within the Vatican, whose Cardinal Secretary became Pope Gregory XVI, various Roman Catholic missionary societies were founded. Their activities had both positive and negative effects on Ghanaian society. Third, rivalry between the various Christian denominations also contributed to the poor standards of education.
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