ANSWER:
Missionaries and
Colonization
Christianity was
introduced in North Africa as early as the first century AD., but it was only
in the late nineteenth century, when colonialism was advancing, that
Christianity seriously increased its presence on the continent (Ray, 1976:
193). In what later became Southern Rhodesia, now Zimbabwe, the first mission
station was opened in Inyati close to Bulawayo in 1859 by the London Missionary
Society through Reverend Robert Moffat. It is pertinent to keep the following
critical questions in mind:
Who brought
"education" but Christian missionaries? Who fought against tradition
religions but Christian and Muslim missionaries? Who saw traditional religions
as deadly adversaries but Christian missionaries? Who therefore detached the
African from his [sic] religion but the church people? (Taban Lo Liyong,
1988:81-91)
There may have
been many reasons for missionaries to travel to Africa, but not only as
remarked by Father Wermter: "The community culture of Africa fascinated
the European missionaries who came from individualistic cultures." Moyo
remarks that the introduction of Christianity made the mistake of believing
that to become a Christian, people had to be "removed from their
indigenous cultures" (Moyo, 1983, in Haar, 1990: 139). African religions
were treated as an evil which had to be encountered. This can be seen in the
following quotation: "Once their children have gone to school, they begin
to show interest in the strange religion of the white missionaries, religion
which denies the truth of Tonga religious beliefs." It was frequently
believed by Western missionaries that traditional religious beliefs and practices
were inferior, and traditional customs had to be done away with before the
acceptance of Christianity. This did not happen without resistance or problems,
and gave for instance rise to the process which can be seen as religious
syncretism in religious beliefs today. What Bishop Desmond Tutu described as a
"form of schizophrenia" was thus the result of having to disclaim the
indigenous culture before converting to Christianity (quoted in Moyo, 103).
There is no reason to dismiss such attitudes as a thing of the past, however.
Many of the same sentiments can be found in contemporary religious expressions
and among the leaders of various religious groups.
The role of the
missionaries in the colonisation of the region was also considerable in terms
of cultural and political domination of the people. Although the missionaries'
task was to make people accept the Bible and its teachings, Christianity was
turned into an ideology which could be used to convince people not to resist
white domination. Religion was used to legitimate, sustain and even promote
political tyranny and oppression, as well as in other instances for reasons of
political liberation of the people. In the words of Charles Villa-Vicencio,
religion has functioned both as the "opiate of the people" and a
"source of the social renewal" (1989: 25). Bourdillon, on the other
hand, maintains that "missionary Christianity cannot simply be identified
with colonialism" (Bourdillon, 1990: 269). Regardless of claims that the
missionaries regarded themselves as opposed to the colonial ideology, they were
part of the colonial structure and brought with them religions, beliefs and
practices which were alien to the area. In the words of Father Wolf Schmidt,
"the early missionaries did not differentiate between their faith and
their own culture".
Missionaries and the Fight Against Colonialism
During the second
Chimurenga or war of liberation in Zimbabwe, the church was criticised for not
being vocal enough, appearing to be on the side of the oppressors, although
some churches and missions did join or support the struggle for independence,
particularly the rural missions. During the liberation war, however,
traditional religions were playing an increasingly important role through the
co-operation with the spirit mediums (see Lan and Hastings). Cultural identity
and pride, so important for the struggle, were boosted thanks to the
traditional religions which not only gave strength, but also which set the
majority population apart from the ruling minority associated with
Christianity. The spirit mediums became symbols of traditional power and
knowledge, through their association with heroes of past times and through
resistance to changes introduced by the colonial powers, the minority
government and "white culture" in general.
Some missionaries
and churches did, however, join the people in the fight against colonialism,
although still often perceived as being on the side of the minority government.
The Catholic Church of Zimbabwe voiced strong criticism of the minority rule,
and particularly through Moto they spoke out against oppression of the
people.50 The Catholic Church is among the religious groups who have gone the
furthest in "indigenising" their leadership, church services, and
forms of worship. Many of the leaders of the second Chimurenga had been
educated at various mission schools. It is often argued, however, that mission
education coincided with the colonisers' interest, as Rodney (1972) remarks:
"Only education could lay the basis for a smooth-functioning colonial
administration." The missions also had a stake in this, as it was
significant for them to communicate with the people through the written word,
and to translate the Bible into indigenous languages. Mission schools in
varying degrees served the interests of the colonisers, the settler regimes,
the missions themselves, and, finally, to some extent the people.
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