8.missionaries in ZimbabweQ&A
8.missionaries in ZimbabweQ&A
8.missionaries in ZimbabweQ&A
[Specimen]
56 [a].List any six problems faced by missionaries in Zimbabwe between 1850 and 1900.
[6]
➢ Diseases
➢ Poor transport and communication
➢ Opposition of African leaders
➢ Opposition of Moslems/Swahili
➢ Language barrier
➢ Traditional religion
➢ Food supplies were scarce
[b].Describe the work of missionary organisations which operated in Zimbabwe 1850
and 1900. [11]
➢ London missionary society came to Matabeleland after some earlier contacts south of
Limpopo
➢ 1859 J.S .Moffat established a mission at Inyathi
➢ Opened a church and a school to convert and teach the Ndebele Society
➢ 1870 LMS opened another station at Hope Fountain for the same purposes
➢ Missionaries involved besides Moffat were Thompson, Sykes, Charles Helm and
David Carnegie
➢ 1882 the Roman Catholics came to Matabeleland when the Jesuits opened Empandeni
under father Bartholomew knoot
➢ 1879 a catholic mission was established by Fr Law at Mzila but it later failed
➢ 1891 the Anglican Church led by Knight Bruce came to Mashonaland. Their first
mission station at St Augustines
➢ Later the Jesuits established a mission at Chishawasha
➢ The American Board of the church of Christ came to Eastern Zimbabwe and opened
a mission station at Mt Selinda[Chirinda]
➢ Other missionary groups who came were the Methodists, whose earliest mission was
Old Mutare.
➢ Between 1860 and 1890 missionaries representing the DRC, Paris Evangelical
Mission and the Berlin Missionary Society to work, e,g the DRC was well represented
in the Masvingo area.
➢ Main activities of the missionaries included conversion to Christianity, education
[3Rs], translations, medicine, technical work, mediating between Africans andother
Europeans.
[c].To what extent did the missionaries succeed in their work in this period?[8]
➢ Education developed in areas where the African society was not tightly controlled
➢ In Matabeleland missionaries only mad in-roads after Lobengula was crushed in the
1893 Anglo-Ndebele war
➢ As technicians they did much even in Matabeleland,e,g repair guns.
➢ At first few Africans accepted Christianity ,better reception in Mashonaland
➢ Many hospitals were opened and served Africans who were then sidelined by the
Government after 1890.
➢ Many Africans remained sceptical of the missionaries and in some areas they made no
progress.
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➢ In Matabeleland they took their role as link people with other Europeans to an
extreme. They became main agents in the plots to dislodge the Ndebele and occupy
Zimbabwe.
[Nov 2003]
57. [a].List any six aims of missionaries who came into Zimbabwe between 1850 and
1900. [6]
➢ To spread Christianity
➢ To promote legitimate trade
➢ To end slavery, end civil wars
➢ To civilise the local people
➢ To teach people to read and write
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➢ Ndebele society was organised on caste basis which militated against Christian
principle of equality, making the Christianity unacceptable
➢ Also in Mashonaland missionaries were not very successful
➢ Missionaries were welcome in Mashonaland around Masvingo but later arrested by
Lobengula
➢ However, missionaries made some headway in literary work and teaching ,reading
and writing
➢ Missionary work began to make headway after colonisation.
[Nov 2004]
59 [a].Identify any six missionaries who worked in Zimbabwe between 1850 and
1900.[6]
➢ Robert Moffat, J.S. Moffat, Charles Helm, Francois Coillard, William Sykes, Thomas
M Thomas, Fr Robert Laws, Knight Bruce, Fr Law, Fr Kroot.
[b].Describe the role played by missionaries in the colonisation of Zimbabwe.[11]
➢ 1836-Mzilikazi signed a treaty with Robert Moffat- establishing a long term
friendship that helped the British in the 1880s
➢ The Moffat Agreement in 1888- in which Lobengula was persuaded to drop the
Grobler Treaty –Lobengula agreed to be a friend of the British Queen and not to enter
into any agreement without the knowledge of the British. Lobengula thought J.S.
Moffat was trustworthy. This treaty signed by a missionary led to the signing of the
Rudd Concession.
➢ During negotiations ,leading to the Rudd Concession, Rev Charles Helm played a
leading role in persuading Lobengula to sign the concession
➢ Missionaries usually played an important role in the link between concession seekers
as they spoke local languages.
➢ The establishment of missions, e,g Inyathi and Empandeni, helped those who visited
Zimbabwe to find a place to stay[flag followed cross]
➢ The failure of Missionaries to convert many local people to Christianity resulted in
some Missionaries e,g J.S. Moffat, to hate the Ndebele State ....”it will be a blessing
to the world when they are broken up”. So in a way encouraged the BSAC to use war
to destroy the Ndebele State in order to loosen grip on potential converts
➢ Missionary road to the north from South used by whites, trade –encouraged by
Missionary groups attracted whites.
[c].How important was the role played by Missionaries in the colonisation of
Zimbabwe? [8]
[i] Importance of Missionaries
➢ Helped in the signing of treaties
➢ Played as a link between Rhodes and Lobengula
➢ Establishment of missions which latter brought literacy
➢ Had knowledge of the culture of the local people
➢ Gave Africans false sense of security
[ii] Other important Factors:
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➢ Used by Ndebele to repair guns, treat the sick and write the king’s letters
➢ Missionaries preached to the people
➢ Missionaries also taught and carried out literary work eg Sindebele books were
printed for Ndebele children to read
➢ Depelchin led Jesuits to Zambezi Valley and set up a station at Pandamatenka,he built
the “Residence of the Holy Cross”
➢ Chiwashawasha was founded near Salisbury in 1892
➢ Only in the 1895 when many more missions opened were many converts made, after
colonisation
➢ Built numerous churches and many converts made, built numerous churches and
many converts accepted Christian standards
➢ Built schools that taught reading and writing
➢ They produced grammar books, translated religious and educational books into
vernaculars
➢ New crops and vegetables were introduced and new crafts and skills practised e,g
carpentry at Chiwashawasha etc
➢ Traded with local people
➢ Paved way for colonisation
➢ Condemned African religion
➢ New farming methods
➢ Introduced livestock breeding
➢ Fr Prestige supported destruction of the Ndebele state
[c].How successful was the work of Catholic Missionaries in Zimbabwe in this
period?[8]
Successes:
➢ Established mission stations
➢ Inoculation of cattle transformed African language to written from [Sindebele and
Shona]
➢ Translated religions and educational books
➢ Introduced new crops vegetables
➢ New crafts and skills practised
➢ Knowledge to use new implements e,g Saints and ploughs
➢ Established schools
➢ Set up hospitals ,treated the sick
➢ Introduced livestock breeding
➢ Got some new converts
➢ Assisted in colonisation
Failures:
➢ Before colonisation in 1890 made little impact to convert Ndebele Shona
➢ Slave raiding and class system among Ndebele influenced Ndebele kings to
discourage conversion
➢ Problems of diseases and poor communication
➢ Opposition from Muslims
[Nov 2009]
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63 [a].Name any three missionary societies and their respective leaders who came into
Zimbabwe between 1850 and 1900. [6]
➢ London Missionary Society----J.S. Moffat, C Helm, Price, Sykes, Thomas
➢ Anglican-Knight Bruce
➢ Berlin Missionary Society-Madzima and Samuel
➢ Roman Catholic Church—Fr Bartholomew Kroot, Fr Law, Depelchin
➢ Dutch Reformed Church-Michael Buys
➢ Paris Evangelical Mission-Coillard and Sehahabane
[b] Outline the problems experienced by missionaries in Zimbabwe between 1850 and
1900. [11]
➢ Tropical diseases
➢ Language problems as they tried to communicate with locals/with their home
countries
➢ Attacks by animals
➢ Locals resisted Christianity
➢ Transport problems
➢ Shortage of food they were used to
➢ Pressure from political leaders to be involved in colonisation
➢ Caught up in the competition among the European countries
➢ Shortage of medicines
➢ Opposition from African rulers
➢ Human resource shortage[manpower]
➢ Accommodation problems/shelter
[c].To what extent had missionaries solved these problems by 1900? [8]
Methods to solve problems
➢ Missionaries brought medicine
➢ Use of sign language, interpreter from South Africa
➢ Set up schools
➢ Assisted in the colonisation so that their work to spread Christianity was made easy
➢ Created roads
➢ Grew their own crops
➢ Built mission stations
➢ Used African catechists and evangelists
➢ Friendship with African chiefs
➢ Cheated some chiefs
[I] Successes
➢ Had assisted in the colonisation of Zimbabwe
➢ Stations built and clinics built
➢ Were growing own crops
➢ Rapid success after Ndebele had fallen
➢ Appointed some African catechists at some Chiefs’ court
[ii] Failures
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Unsolved
➢ Africans still attached to their traditional religion and culture
➢ Ndebele till cherished caste and raiding systems
➢ Roads and telephones still rare
➢ Africans suspicious of Europeans or Missionaries.
[June 2011]
65[a].Name any six mission stations established in Zimbabwe between 1850 and 1900.
[6]
➢ Empandeni, Hope Fountain, Inyathi, Chishawasha, Morgenster
➢ Chivi, Matibi, Mposi, Zimuto, Hartzel, Howard, Mount Selinda
➢ St Augustine, St Dominics, Mutambara, Nhowe, Bernad Mizeki
[b].Outline the work of the London Missionary Society (LMS) in Matabeleland in the
19th Century. [11]
➢ In 1859 J S Moffat established Inyathi mission
➢ LMS opened Hope Fountain in 1870, at the missions the missionaries taught and
preached, grew their own food
➢ J S Moffat signed the Moffat Treaty with Lobengula in Feb 1888
➢ Rev C Helm persuaded Lobengula to sign the Rudd Concession in Oct 1888
➢ Missionaries in Matabeleland encouraged trade between Ndebele and whites
➢ Established schools, hospitals and churches
➢ Converted Ndebele into Christianity
➢ Repaired the king’s guns, wrote king’s letters, treated the sick
➢ Discouraged and undermined African religion and tradition
➢ Taught Ndebeles new skilss such as carpentry, woodwork, metalwork etc
➢ Acte as interpreters (translators)
➢ Promoted literacy (Ndebele were taught how to read and write)
[c].How important was the role played by the LMS in the colonisation of Zimbabwe?
Role played by LMS in colonisation of Zimbabwe.
➢ In Feb 188, J S Moffat signed the Moffat Treaty on behalf of Rhodes. Lobengula
agreed to cancel the Grobler treaty
➢ Oct 1888 Rev C Helm influenced Lobengula into signing the Rudd Concession
➢ C Helm recommende the destruction of the Ndebele state
➢ Missionaries hosted uropean visitors from Europe
➢ Missionary road became gateway into the interior of Southern Africa
Other factors
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Failures
➢ Hospitals were built
➢ Some people were converted
➢ Other people were educated
➢ Mission stations were established
➢ Schools were built
➢ All missionary successes were failures by Africans to resist.
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