Purple Hibiscus Research: Christian Missionaries in Nigeria

In the beginning of the 19th century, Christian missionaries were launched with unprecedented vigor to Africa. Catholic, Protestant, and Anglican missionaries were all trying to convert the native African people, often coming into conflict with one another. As the abolition of slavery progressed in the different European colonies, converting freed slaves became a powerful motive for setting up European Christian missions. 

Christianity in Nigeria was first introduced in the 15th century by Portuegese Catholic priests during the Age of Exploration. Europeans were not only curious to explore the lands but also the native people. However, this early wave had no success as local kings were more interested in obtaining guns rather than the tales of Christianity. 

In the 19th century more stable missions were sent into Nigeria as European nations gained tighter control over their African colonies. There was also a growing number of Nigerian pastors and independent Nigerian churches at the time. The Church Missionary Society established churches in several towns like Abeokuta, Lagos, Idaban, Oyo, and Benin. The Church of Scotland started missionary work in the area of Calabar. The Roman Catholic Church was also able to build a permanent stations in Lagos, Lokoja, Abeokuta, and Idaban. By 1885, they had become the largest European-led churches in Nigeria, spreading further inland. 

Up until the 19th century, European missionaries were not especially successful. Christian missionaries believed that their dedication to Christianity would be enough for conversion. They did not take into consideration the already established cultural characteristics; Igbo religious traditions had long been engraved into the African society. 

Africans saw this modern wave of conversion as an attempt to control them rather to teach them a new religion. Europeans were seen as “ruling Africans both in political and ecclesiastical matters'' (Falae). Conversion progressively became something imposed rather than suggested; the way Christianity was teached seemed very alien to them. As a result, many African converts began breaking away from European churches and forming their own. These churches incorporated their old religious and cultural ideals with their new teachings of the Bible. This is when conversion numbers started to rise and more locals became keen to this new religion. 

The real success of Christian conversion came when freed Christian slaves began to return to Nigeria towards the end of the 20th century. They were not strangers from a foreign land, they were native people. They preached Christianity in a way that took into consideration the geographical and cultural differences between Europe and Africa. 

In conclusion, Christianity planted its roots only when a more secretic form was formed. African people did not have to give up their cultural identity in order to follow something Western and foreign. They saw a way to incorporate the loving message of the religion with their own unique lives. 

 BBC. The story of Africa. https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/africa/features/storyofafrica/index_section8.shtml. Accessed February 27, 2021.

Today 49% of the Nigerian population is Christian. The Church of Nigeria is the second largest province in the Anglican Communion after the Church of England. Missionaries today have brought education, medical care, and Holistic Development Centers into Nigeria.