Mission, development, and ‘reverse mission’ in Europe-Africa religious relations

Abstract

This chapter will review some of the religious connections between Europe and Africa, focusing on the Christian religion. It will first discuss the spread of Christianity from Europe to Africa in the colonial context; then explore the reconfiguration of Europe-Africa Christian relations in the post-colonial era and the concomitant rise in US-Africa Christian relations; and finally consider the contemporary phenomenon of 'reverse mission,' in which African missionaries seek to re-Christianize a secularized Europe. As this chapter will show, Christian interactions between Europe and Africa have played an important part in non-state external relations between these two continents for centuries and continue to do so in the present day. The European mission to AfricaReligious entanglements have been part of Europe-Africa relations from the very early days. When Portuguese traders and explorers first began to venture into West Africa in the 15th century they came with a desire to trade, particularly for slaves, and also to convert the local people to Christianity. The first Catholic diocese in Africa was established in Sao Tomé in 1534 and its often non-resident bishops came to play an important role as 'ecclesiastical entrepreneurs' between Portugal and Africa (Hastings 1994: 73). The Portuguese focused on trying to convert local rulers, particularly the kings of the various West African kingdoms. In 1491 the head of the Kongo kingdom was baptized, and in the next few years several other African kings followed suit, such that Catholic kingdoms existed in some form in Kongo, Angola, Warri, and Mwene Mutapa for several centuries (Isichei 1995: 2). By the 17th century Sao Sebastien, the Kongo capital, looked much like a Christian city with a mixed-race Christian population, a large number of Christian aristocrats, a Jesuit college, and a functioning cathedral (Hastings 1994: 94).As the 17th century progressed, Portuguese power went into decline while the Church in Rome was gaining energy. Thus Catholic missionary work in Africa transitioned away from the Portuguese and more to the hands of the Vatican. In