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CMS Missionaries of African Origin and Extra-Religious Encounters at the Niger-Benue Confluence, 1858–1880

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  23 May 2014

Femi J. Kolapo
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Abstract:

Mission-African relations in Gbebe and Lokoja between 1858 and 1880 were different from what obtains in the literature for other precolonial Nigeria mission towns. Missionary practice was as intransigent, culturally imposing, and conflictual in these communities as in other mission towns, but local opposition and aversion to the missionaries and converts were not the defining character of their relationship. This difference is due both to certain peculiarities in the corporate character of Gbebe and Lokoja CMS missions and die particular sociopolitical and cultural milieu in the host communities. These factors attenuated die force of missionary ideological and religious assault and demoted religious conflicts between them to a secondary position. Thus, other critical nonconflictual contexts of mission-African relations assumed predominance in these communities. The character of the missions beclouded much of their patently adversarial aspects in the sight of their hosts. It also compelled the missionaries to engage in close secular interactions with the people. Moreover, exigent conditions of internal sociopolitical instability and external dangers of wars forced on the two sides faith-blind informal encounters. Furthermore, a heritage of integrative management of diverse immigrant founding groups in the young communities equipped them to be accommodative of the latterly arrived missionaries.

Résumé:

Résumé:

La relation des missions africaines à Gbebe et à Lokoja entre 1858 et 1880 diffère de ce qui a été écrit en littérature pour d'autres villes nigérianes de missionnaires de l'époque pré-coloniale. La pratique des missionnaires était aussi intransigeante, dominatrice d'un point de vue culturel et conflictuelle dans ces communautés que dans d'autres villes avec missions. Cependant, l'opposition locale, l'aversion envers les missionnaires et les convertis n'étaient pas le caractère qui définissait leur rapport. Cette différence est due aussi bien à certaines particularités dans le caractère de corporation des missions CMS de Gbebe et de Lokoja qu'à la nature particulière du milieu sociopolitique et culturel des communautéshôtes. Ces facteurs ont apaisé la force de l'assaut idéologique et religieux des missionnaires et ont relégué les conflits religieux entre eux vers une position secondaire. Ainsi, d'autres contextes graves, mais non-conflictuels, des relations entre les missions africaines ont assumé la prédominance dans ces communautés. Le caractère des missions a obscurci beaucoup de leurs aspects ouvertement adversatifs, aux yeux de leurs hôtes. Cela a également contraint les missionnaires à s'engager dans des interactions séculaires étroites avec les gens. D'ailleurs, les conditions exigentes de l'instabilite sociopolitique interne et les dangers de guerres à l'extérieur ont exercé une pression sur les rencontres informelles des deux factions, aveuglées par leur propre idéologie. En outre, un héritage de l'administration intégratrice de divers groupes fondateurs d'immigrés dans les jeunes communautés les a équipées pour s'accommoder des missionnaires arrivés récemment.

Type
Articles
Information
African Studies Review , Volume 43 , Issue 2 , September 2000 , pp. 87 - 115
Copyright
Copyright © African Studies Association 2000

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