LECTURE ONE

PREVIOUS ATTEMPTS AT PLANTING CHRISTIANITY IN WEST

AFRICA AND THE ROLE OF PRINCE HENRY OF PORTUGAL

Introduction

Many attempts have been made at planting Christianity in West Africa. Your awareness of these
efforts will be very helpful in understanding the successes and failures of previous efforts. Even
in this study, you will see that some of the reasons for the failures are recurrent. A brief history of
Christianity in Northern Africa is regarded as the first attempt, this is discussed below. The
second attempt has to do with the role of Portugal and Prince Henry. These two attempts serve as
introduction to our main concern here. It is important that we note these efforts.

The First Attempt: Latin Africa

The history of Christianity in Africa is a very rich and an interesting one to study. You will
discover for yourself that Christianity is not that new in Africa as many portray it. In fact, we can
say that the religion is as old on the African soil as it is in Palestine. This is due to the very close
affinity that existed between the Northern part of Africa and Palestine. This is clearly depicted in
the Old Testament writings. For example, the land of Egypt in modern day Africa features
prominently in the history of the beginnings of the Jewish nation. Do you know that the children
of Jacob sojourned in Egypt where Joseph became the Prime Minister to Pharaoh, the King?
Many parts of North Africa are mentioned in the Bible. The story of how the Christian faith got
to North Africa is an offshoot of the long and cordial relationship that had existed between the
two lands due to their proximity to each other. No wonder then that Christianity came to North
Africa very early; the date of which we cannot precisely give. However, some events could help
us in our study of what scholars regard as the first stage or attempt at planting Christianity in
Africa. The constant contact with Palestine reflected in the New Testament records. In Matthew
2:13-15, we read of the flight of Joseph and Mary with baby Jesus from King Herod. Simon of
Cyrene that carried the cross of Jesus later became a Christian and his two sons Alexander and
Rufus were among the people known to those to whom the Gospel of Mark was written (Mark
15:21 and Rom. 16:13). The Book of Acts of Apostles also tells of the presence of Africans in
Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost (Acts. 2: 5-13). Do you know that Egypt, Ethiopia, Cyrene and
Libya still exist in Africa till today? Not only that, the story of the Ethiopian Eunuch to
Jerusalem (Acts. 6) proves that the gospel came to Africa in the early years of the Church. By the
4th Century AD, large Christian communities and Churches were in and around cities like
Carthage (in modern Tunisia); Ethiopia; Abyssinia, Numidia (modern Algeria). The area
produced some of the well-known leaders in Christendom like Tertullian (Father of Latin
Theology); Bishop Cyprian; Saint Augustine and Origen. Today, scholars refer to the North
Africa of the period as Latin Africa. This is because the area formed a significant part of the then
Roman Empire.
The Second Attempt: Prince Henry of Portugal

There are many reasons why Christianity got to Western Africa late. Some of the reasons are the
Muslim occupation of North Africa (or Latin Africa) which became a barrier to Christian
penetration; not much of Africa was known then to the outside world; and it seemed unsuitable
for European life. Hence, Africa was then known as the “Dark Continent” and the “White Man‟s
Grave.” The Portuguese were the first to attempt exploration of the hinterland of West Africa for
political, commercial and missionary purposes. The country was not only a sea-faring and
commercial nation but also a Christian country. The keen interest of Prince Henry in sea
adventure earned him the nickname “Henry the Navigator.”The second attempt at planting
Christianity in Africa was made possible through the Papal Bull granted Portugal by Pope Martin
V. The man who played a major role in the various explorations to West Africa was Prince Henry
of Portugal. Below, we shall do a brief biographical study of the man and his motives. Like the
Church in North Africa that eclipsed, the efforts of the Portuguese did not endure long. We shall
consider how far they worked and why they failed at making a lasting impression in West Africa.
The Portuguese were the first to attempt the exploration of the hinterland of West Africa.
Portugal did this for political, commercial and missionary purposes. They began as far as the
15th Century to explore the coast of West Africa. This is because Portugal was not only a sea-
faring and commercial nation but also a Christian country. The main figure then was Prince
Henry. No one used the nickname 'Navigator' to refer to Prince Henry during his lifetime or in
the following Three Centuries. The term was coined by two Nineteenth-Century German
historians: Heinrich Schaefer and Gustav de Veer.

Prince Henry was born to King John and Queen Phillipa in 1394. He died in 1460. He was
always interested in sea-fearing and was the first Portuguese to acquire a territory for his country
in Africa. He built an observatory laboratory in Sagres near Lagos, a sea-port in Portugal. It is
probable that Lagos (in Nigeria) derived its name from this Portuguese sea-port. He sponsored
numerous explorations down the African Coast which then was terribly dreaded by European
navigators because it was unknown. He loved buying the gold of West Africa. Henry wanted to
get the West African gold directly, without going to the Muslim Kingdoms in North Africa and
Arabia in the Middle East. So, he sent out his ships accompanied by some Roman Catholic
Missionaries to Nigeria. They visited Benin and Warri. Around the riverine areas in Nigeria,
slave trade was the business of the day. Most of the kings the missionaries preached to were
interested more in the Portuguese guns than Christianity. For this reason, the planting of
Christianity by the Roman Catholic missionaries in Nigeria failed in the fifteenth and sixteenth
centuries A.D.

The Motives of Prince Henry

The purposes of the explorations sponsored by Prince Henry were many and interrelated.
1. Commercial Interest: Before now, most of the trading activities in West Africa were in the
hands of Muslim Berbers through the Trans-Saharan trade route. This badly affected the
commercial fortunes of European nations. Commodities from West Africa like ivory, silk, gold,
leather and pepper were scarce and expensive. Alternate routes to West Africa and India were
considered to break the monopoly of the Muslim traders.

2. Religious Interest: This explained why Portuguese Missionaries accompanied the explorers.
This motive was reinforced by the desire to find the mythical Prester John, the Christian King in
Africa with whom Portugal could ally against the Muslims.

3. Christian Ally: Meanwhile, Henry had heard of a Christian King, by name Prester John, whose
Kingdom was overflowing with mineral wealth and natural resources. He also heard of the
caravan trade in the heart of Africa, from which the Muslims were enriching themselves in gold,
Ivory and slaves. So, the question of evangelization was in that age a national obligation to
which other ventures were tied.

4. Political Interest: One other aim of the explorations was the desire to acquire colonies. The
quest for political and military glory paid off as Portugal colonized countries like Angola and
Mozambique.

5. Scientific Reason: The fifth purpose of the explorations was scientific. There was the curiosity
to find out more of Africa and Asia. It was hoped that the exploration would open up a new route
to India, giving Portugal the fame impossible for her to attain in Europe.

6. Gains of the Explorations: The explorations visited many parts of West Africa. These included
the Coast of Sierra Leone, Cabo Mesurado (now Modern Monrovia) and Senegal. Other places
were Gambia, Guinea, Gold Coast (now Ghana) and Niger Delta (in Nigeria). In Ghana, the
Portuguese explorers established a base at Elmina where they built a Church in 1482 while they
also established a Church and made few converts in Sierra Leone. According to historians, the
first missionary contacts with Benin (in Nigeria) were made in about 1477. This was followed by
other contacts. In 1485, the Oba Ozolua of Benin requested for missionaries from Portugal. The
real motive of the monarch was more of military assistance than Christianity. Later, Oba Esigie
of Benin also encouraged Christianity and some of the chiefs were baptized. That was about
1514. The mission work suffered after the death of the Oba. Warri had its first missionary visit
around 1555. The Augustinian Monks visited the Olu of Itsekiri who was fascinated by the new
religion. He permitted his son to be baptized and given the name Sebastian. When Prince
Sebastian succeeded his father as the Olu (King), he gave every encouragement, material as well
as financial support. He sent his son, Domingos, to Portugal for education and to be trained as a
Priest. On returning from Portugal, Prince Domingos came back with a European lady as his
wife. The missionaries made some success in Benin where they built three Churches. One of
them was called “Holy Cross” and was located near the present Holy Cross Cathedral, Benin
City. The second stood close to a present pagan shrine called Alo Osu (the altar of god) while the
third was said to be built near the present Government School, Benin City. In Old Warri, they
achieved more as there were no obstacles from the traditional priest like those in Benin. They
built the Church of Capello. The site still bears the name “Capello” though only a heap of earth
remains of the building. There is also a village in Warri called San John. This is a Portuguese
name and it reflects the influence of the early missions in the area. A monastery was said to have
been established in Benin City before 1646 where indigenous clergy were trained and ordained.
Today, religious articles such as crucifixes, rosaries and beads dating back to the period of the
early Portuguese missionaries are still found in Benin and Warri.

Reasons why the Efforts Failed

1. Missionary efforts were restricted to the palaces while only few converts made outside the
palaces were superficial.

2. Africans at that time were more interested in the material gains the presence of the
missionaries offered them. They showed no genuine interest in Christianity but in military and
material gains.

3. Slavery and slave trade affected the growth of the Gospel. Quests for slaves caused unrests in
the interiors and proved a stumbling block.

4. Trade: due to paucity of funds, the missionaries engaged in trade to the detriment of the
Gospel. Trade was of more importance to many Africans, and little interest was developed in
religion. On the other hand, the missionaries did not get the necessary support from the European
traders.

5. Unhealthy Climate: Tropical Africa at that time was bedeviled by diseases such as malaria.
Before the remedies for harmful mosquito bites was discovered, many of the white people died
in quick succession. The scratching heat of the sun, heavy rainfall and high humidity coupled
with diseases made the climate difficult. Thus, Africa was regarded as the “White man‟s grave”.

6. Lack of easy communication: at that time, there was poor communication system in West
Africa. No motor-able roads while telephones, cars, post offices and telegraphs were not
available. There were also too many languages to cope with; learning them was very difficult
then. All these factors combined to make communication difficult.
7. Shortage of personnel: the work collapsed due to the shortage of missionary workers. This was
compounded by lack of replacement of Portuguese workers and the inability to train native
workers.

8. Clashes of personalities: due to conflicting interests, missionary work suffered in many places
in West Africa. The priests of the traditional religion were not kind to the missionaries. Also,
some traditional rulers, chiefs and powerful individuals opposed and hindered evangelism. For
example, it was the priests of the traditional religion that vehemently opposed the missionaries
and caused them to leave Benin City.

9. African cultural practices: Some cultural practices proved as stumbling block on the way of
many becoming Christians. Examples of such practices included polygamy, chieftaincy or
titletaking and secret society. The insistence on “One man, one wife” (that is, monogamy);
discouraged many people.

10. Lastly, the method of evangelism used has been found to be responsible for the failure. The
emphasis then was on quantity of those baptized rather than the quality of their faith. A lot who
were thus baptized did not understand what the new religion meant. Thus, they readily relapsed
into idolatry.