ACCOUNT FORTHE VARIED RESPONSE OF AFRICANS TOWARDS MISSIONARY ENTERPRISE IN AFRICA.

3.


Approach
• Brief background about missionary enterprise in Africa
• Identify the various ways Africans reacted to missionary work
• Give reasons for the valid response
• Logically conclude
Background of the Question
• Modem missionary work in Africa began in the 19th century following religious revolution in Europe and America.
• Various missionary groups operated in Africa, in West Africa there was the church missionary society which operated in Sierra Leone in 1805 among the freed states, Church of England societies in Ghana 1752, Reverand Samuel Crowther Ajai in Nigeria:
•In East Africa there was the Holy Ghost fathers church missionary society, Holy Roman Catholics among others
• In central Africa there was the university missionary to Central Africa (UMCA) of Livingston plus numerous independent churches.
• In South Africa there was church missionary society and London missionary society among others.
• Africans received missionaries either negatively, positively or indifferently.
This was due to a number of factors and considerations as shown below.
1. Presence of some form of religions before the coming of missionaries either African traditional religion or Islam. In areas where the above were strongly respected, missionaries were resisted e.g. S. Nigeria However where African traditional religions were weak missionaries were welcomed.
2. Effect of slave trade, societies that had been victims of slave trade like the Makonde of central Africa we loomed missionaries, while those that benefited like the Nyamwezi resisted the missionary work.
3. Disagreement among African societies, among the Ibo missionaries warmly received hoping to use them against their enemies the Ibadans from the north, the Lozi also welcomed missionaries because they were threatened by their neighbours.
4. Influence of petty gifts like old chairs, umbrellas, mirrors and so on African leaders like those o of Buganda were seduced by such gifts to accept missionary work.
5. The way the Europeans approached Africans, where very friendly and softly approached Africans like in Buganda and northern Nigeria, Africans welcomed them positively. The reverse is true where the Europeans used a harsh approach like in southern Nigeria.
6. Presence of opportunists, in African societies, there existed self styled and selfish people, they collaborated with missionaries; however where Africans
had the same mission of resistance like in Islamic states of southern Nigeria missionary work was out rightly rejected.
7. Presence of natural calamities like droughts and epidemics, societies that were seriously hit by such calamities were forced to welcome missionaries hoping to get assistance. On the other hand economically strong societies did not see any reason to accept missionary interference.
8. Presence of succession disputes, rivaling princes always took opposite side regarding missionary work, once one collaborated with them another resisted.
9. Some African leaders like Mutesa I of Buganda, Lewanika of Lozi and Khama of Ngwato welcomed missionaries hoping to get guns to protect their kingdoms.
10. The direction from where European missionaries came shaped negative response of some Africans. For example the Banyoro resisted because the missionaries came from Buganda, the Asante resisted because they came from Fante.
11. The attitude of Africans towards Europeans, in societies where missionaries were looked at as elevating force like in Buganda, Lozi among others. Missionaries were positively received, on the other hand where Europeans were associated with bad omens like among the Nandi where they were called red devils, missionary work was rejected.
12. Fear of loss of independence, strong societies like the Ndebele, Nandi, and Bunyoro resisted missionaries because they associated them with colonialists. On the other hand weak societies that were threatened by their neighbours like the Fante, Buganda, Shona, Lozi, and Ngwato welcomed missionaries as a way of offsetting the threats of their neighbours.
13. The political organizations of African societies, among centralized societies, missionaries were easily being accepted as long as the top leaders were convinced for instance in Buganda. However among the Acephorous societies this was not the case due to lack a clear defined authority