White Fathers: Difference between revisions

Content deleted Content added
m v2.04b - Bot T19 CW#25 - Fix errors for CW project (Heading hierarchy)
added African perspective section
Line 132:
|}
 
== African perspectives of the 'White Fathers' ==
==Zambia==
Africans regularly articulated their views and were not afraid to apply pressure to the missionaries such as using military resistance which was bitter but well organised. A bishop was appointed in [[Algiers]] in 1838. [[Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch|Bishop Antoine-Adolphe Dupuch]], who was born in [[Algeria]], was a bishop who was eager to convert Emir Abd el-Kadar to Christianity yet while doing so. He established a dialogue and friendly relations with the emir of Algiers . The political and military powers were slow to accept the Christian missions in the region as well as some [[Freemasonry|Freemasons]] also refused to support the missionaries .[[Charles Lavigerie|Bishop Lavigerie]] made sure that there would be no conversions of Muslims to Christianity as he understood how rooted many were to their faith, Lavigerie came to this understanding after coming to Algeria he realised that Algerian Islam was different to that of Islam practised in Syria and he feared that proselytism would cause unrest among the Muslim population, his position was informed by [[Emir Abdelkader|Emir Abd el-Kader]] who risked his safety and who’s actions and influence had protected and sheltered many Christians in 1860 during the [[1860 civil conflict in Mount Lebanon and Damascus|Druze conflict]] which was a civil conflict between local [[Druze]] and Christians . Many White Fathers understood Islam and maintained the course of dialogue during World Wars, wars of decolonisation and post-colonial crises, which meant that Africans began to trust them and learn alongside them as the White Fathers did not have the intention of forcing religion on to them. However, not many White Fathers understood the meaning of Islam and how important this faith was but were willing to learn some more about the religion and its teachings than others. For African’s this allowed them to build a relationship with the missionaries and many chose to convert to Christianity on their own terms.
 
== Zambia ==
The White fathers were once the largest missionary society in [[Zambia]]. In 1891, the White Fathers established their first station among the [[Mambwe people|Mambwe]], an ethnic group from northeastern Zambia, in the Tanganyika-Malawi corridor. This establishment makes them the earliest to settle in the country, even before the effective inception of British rule after the [[Berlin Conference|Berlin Conference in 1885]] which gave the Zambia territory to the British power.<ref name="Hinfelaar 2003 439–445">{{Cite journal|last=Hinfelaar|first=Marja|date=2003|title=The White Fathers' Archive in Zambia|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/product/identifier/S0361541300003314/type/journal_article|journal=History in Africa|language=en|volume=30|pages=439–445|doi=10.1017/S0361541300003314|issn=0361-5413}}</ref>