Christian Missions on the Scene in West Africa

In the 15th century the Portuguese introduced Roman Catholic in Benin Nigeria. Roman Catholic Priests accompanied Portuguese traders and other officials to the coasts of West Africa. Many Churches were built for the Portuguese and African converts. However, the influence of Catholic missionaries disintegrated when Portuguese contact diminished.[1]

 Missions resumed in the 1840s at Lagos and Ibadan by the Church of England’s Missionary Society. Other denominations followed them from Britain, Canada, and the U.S. They were Protestants. In the 1860s the Roman Catholics followed as well. To avoid competition with other missionaries in the field the Protestant Missionaries divided the country by mission activities. Catholic missionaries avoided missions in areas already under influence of other missionaries. The Catholics were active among the Igbos and the Church of England among the Yoruba’s.[2]

Samuel Crowther Bishop in 1867 Translated the Bible in Yoruba language[6]

  Samuel Adaj Crowther from the church of England was the first African Anglican Bishop of Niger. He was a freed Yoruba slave that was educated in Sierra Leone and in Britain. He was ordained Bishop before returning to his homeland with other missionaries sent by the Church of England Church Missionary Society(CMS). The idea behind promoting an African Bishop was to establish a native church home free from European teachers. Effort failed on that part because religious authorities felt that religious disciplines had weakened under Crowther. It was mainly due to prejudice. Crowther was replaced by a British cleric. European missionaries were convinced of the value of colonial rule thus reinforcing colonial policy. In turn African Christian communities formed their own independent churches.[3]

After WWI the Brethren, seventh Day Adventist and Jehovah’s Witnesses came on the scene in small sects. African-American churches also entered the missionary field and created contacts with Nigeria that lasted up into colonial period.[4] Between 1953 and 1960 there were riots against the Igbos due to religious conflicts. Riots happened again in the North of 1966 against the Igbos, supposedly due to their mistreatment of Muslims.[5]

Igbo Roman Catholics in the Cathedral[7]

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[1]Helen Metz. Nigeria: A Country Study.
[2]Lbid.
[3]Lbid.
[4]Helen Metz, Influence of The Christian Mission.
[5]Lbid.
[6] Wikipedia. Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Image.
[7] Wikimedia. Igbo Roman Catholics in the Cathedral, Image.

Bibliography

Metz, Helen Chapin. "Christianity." Nigeria: A Country Study. The Library of Congress, 1991. http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/47.htm (accessed February 25, 2016).

—. "Influence of The Christian Missions." Nigeria: A Country Study. The Library of Congress,1991. http://countrystudies.us/nigeria/14.htm (accessed February 25, 2016).

Wikimedia. Igbo Roman Catholics in the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels, Los Angeles, California Image. n.d. https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fc/Igbo_Roman_Catholics.jpg (accessed February 25, 2016).

Wikipedia. Samuel Ajayi Crowther Image. n.d. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samuel_Ajayi_Crowther (accessed February 25, 2016).