http://tanzaniafolkore.blogspot.com/2012/06/and-early-history.html
** Bolded Words are notable people/missonary groups or orders **
Early Missionary EventsMissonaries followed those who had explored the western coast of Africa, Portuguese mariners, in the 1500s. The first missionaries to preach here were a branch of Fransiscan friars called "Chapuchins." The missionaries baptized about 600,000 Africans within 55 years (1645-1700). Often times people only joined the faith because their leaders joined; the friars didn't even have the materials needed to give education on the faith, so they converted the leaders in hopes that the people would follow without an education on the faith. By 1624, Porteguese Jesuits had established twenty mission stations in the countryside, and the Dominicans and Augustinians has started houses as well. Although this is true, Africans sometimes withstood missionary efforts because they thought if they didn't, then they would be accepting Portuguese Colonial rule as well.Native Africans often linked Christianity then to Portuguese Colonial rule. Other than the areas talked about before, other parts of Africa didn't really hear the gospel until the 1800's because Europeans barley knew anything about the area. During this time, both Protestant and Catholic missionaries were here. David Livingstone, a Protestant missionary, was a great help in making courses into Africa.
http://focus.rw/wp/2012/06/the-necessity-of-outside-in-voices/
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He helped open Africa's interior to missionaries in the mid-1800s, and many Protestant and Catholic missionaries soon followed. Other missionary orders during this time were Sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny, the Missionaries of Africa, and the Maryknoll Missioners.
Slavery and Other Difficulties
One of the main barriers for missionaries in Africa was slavery. By 1800, there were about 10-15 million slaves who had been sent to the Americas for slavery. Catholic missionaries fought this slavery, sometimes buying slaves out of it,and then they would put them into Christian settlements. They would also help the children who had been left behind. A problem rose for the missionaries with Nationalism because French Priests wouldn't agree with Dutch or British missionaries, causing a rise of opposition between Catholic and Protestant priests. African rulers sometimes took advantage of the division among Christians as well, setting missionaries at odds with one another. These rivalries caused confusion amount he non-Christian Africans, allowing them to sometimes think of the Christians as violent, and some even concluded that Christianity was hypocritical. In the late 1800s, the king of Uganda went against the French, Catholic missionaries and the British, Anglican missionaries, expelling them and burning alive 22 Ugandan Catholics.
Wrapping it Up |
http://speedchange.blogspot.com/2012/06/racism-of-brian-williams-and-nbc-news.html
Approach and QualitiesIn order for the missionaries to be successful in Africa, I think they would have needed to be very strong, well-educated, and courageous. I think they would have needed to be strong because during the time, there was a lot of persecution toward them and hostility with other religions. One would have needed to be well-educated, for there were misunderstandings that needed to be clarified about the different christian religions and the faith itself. Also, I think they needed to be courageous during the time of slavery, willing to help and protect those in need. The approach these missionaries used was Cultural Adaptation. They did this in that they really adapted to the African's way of living, changing themselves to be a part of their culture and then teaching them about the faith. An example of this would be the Jesuits adapting to their language as well as their culture.
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There were times of battling religions, colonial interference, and persecution for the Catholic Missionaries in Africa, and although this is true, the Church did grow. Due to accomplishments in the twentieth century, more Catholics live in Africa now than in North America.