Christianity's Legacy in Africa

“Is Christianity’s Legacy in Africa a positive one?” the April-June issue of BBC focus on Africa asks its readers. Arguing “yes” is Method Kiliani, an ArchBishop based in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania. Christianity, he argues, “taught the despised, maltreated, enslaved African that in the same God all is possible, with distinction of color or race.” Christianity brought modern education, and Kiliani distinguishes the missionaries from the colonial government, although he admits that to some extent missionaries believed colonization could benefit Africans. Kiliani also mentions social services for the poor, and the church as a “voice for the voiceless.”

Arguing “no” is Laurence Berman, an academic at the University of South Africa in Pretoria. “Proselytising by force was not unknown. Guns and bibles were the apostles of Christian Imperialism,” he writes. In addition to criticizing those who act in the name of Christianity, including George W. Bush’s abstinence-only policy in HIV AIDS foreign aid, he also criticizes christian doctrine itself, including references to passages condemning homosexualit. For those who argue that such passages are open to interpretation, Berman concludes that biblical texts are unambiguous.

In Kenya, according to the CIA World Factbook, about 80% of the population is Christian, although it admits that getting an exact percentage is difficult. Denominations range from Catholic and Anglican to smaller or indigenous denominations, including Power of Jesus around the World Church, Africa Israel Nimeveh Church, and the Africa Independent Church. Most, if not all, of the people I interviewed about colonialism would identify as Christian. Several of the interviews began and ended with prayer. In one interview, I was assigned bible verses. Although there are Muslims in the Kisumu area, Christianity dominates in the village that I’ve focused on.

According to Orongo village resident Henry Olum, Luos (prior to Christianity) believed in physical things; the sun, moon, mountains. God was behind such features, as the creator. There was also a father/son conception of God: Were, the father. Obong’o, the son.

I asked people how Christianity got introduced to the villages. With slight variation in the responses, a clearer picture emerges. The missionaries converted a few locals or elders- and they were responsible for introducing Christianity to the greater community. How the missionaries converted those few locals, I’m not entirely sure. There may have been force in some instances (likely), but not reported to me by those I’ve interviewed. More than one attributed the cessation of inter-clan fighting to the activities of missionaries: “in times of violence, they preached about peace.”

A few recalled the missionaries giving out foodstuffs and sweets to attract people. Enticement? Perhaps this was a strategy of the missionaries, but think twice before making the conclusion that Africans dumped their indigenous system of religion for some goodies. Making this conclusion is questionable at best, patronizing at worst. People have a diversity of reasons for changing their religion; Africans are no exception.

This subject reminds me of the portrayal of missionary influence in
Chinua Achebe’s Things FallApart, which takes place in Nigeria on the eve of colonization. There is Mr. Brown, the benevolent missionary who uses a strategy of dialogue and engagement, rather than violence. He does not demand that converts reject all of their indigenous values. He gains the trust of the village leaders, even though the village leaders reject Christianity. Unfortunately, Reverend Smith replaces him in the village. Mr. Smith is the opposite of Mr. Brown; he incites divisions and violence within the community, degrades the local culture as a typical colonist. He colludes with the new colonial administration to arrest and punish those he sees as a threat.

As the characters of Mr. Brown and Mr. Smith demonstrate, Christianity’s influence on Africa has more than one face. Whether or not Christianity (if one distinguishes Christianity from colonialism) has had a negative or positive influence on Africa is not really for me to answer. I’ll leave that to Africans.