Missionaries changed the lives of many Africans. Was this good? Please, help!?

Question

Missionaries changed the lives of many Africans. Was this good? Was it bad? How would life in Africa be different if no missionaries had come?

Answer 1

Missionaries often protected black africans from colonials, they also converted them from paganism. African witchdoctors who the missionaries mostly got rid of were bloodthirsty savages that used human body parts to conduct magic rituals. Where society has fallen apart today, some of these practices are becoming common again with little children kidnapped and then killed for their eyes and other parts in these cruel rituals.

Then of course modern missionaries are mostly involved with aid programmes bringing in food and medicines for isolated villages and also education, something the governments of these countries don't care about.

Answer 2

It has some tragic effects, e.g. persecution in some predominantly Muslim countries.

Answer 3

like any other continent, africa is filled with its own unique culture! people of every nations have tried and lived these cultures and traditions in their lives much as the africans did! and since africa had been a place of disasters,plague and genocides, one cant help but think if their lives, beliefs and cultures have already been changed even before these missionaries came. missionaries have been going around the world not just in africa! they offer help and assistance! in most cases. africans do need them in terms of medical and provisions. which is very good! but when it comes to religion.........its entirely complicated............. and purely debatable!

Answer 4

How about education?  The missionaries would have educated many people, who would not have been educated otherwise.  These latter became part  of the intelligentsia class that would direct the fight for African independence.

Answer 5

It depends.  Some were very nice toward the natives like Dr. David Livingstone.

Others were hostile to the natives and their culture.

Answer 6

The missionaries introduced the concept of nations. They also provided a focus for resistance against arab slavery

if the missionaries never came? there would have been no Africa by now- the black tribes would have been exterminated (as in North Africa) or assimilated (as in Sudan and Somalia).

The local culture would have been anihilated completely in any case- eg as is the case on the coast of East Africa where the native cultures have vanished and have been replaced with the "swahili" culture - which is Arab in origin and represents the "culture" of the Arab slave traders

Answer 7

The missionaries had good intentions, but some of the africans might not have had good intentions. ex: they turn a family member over, so they won't have to spend the money to take care of their sick. so it was good and bad. africa would probably still be the same...poor and AIDS infested. the charities don't care for them they take 80 cents from each dollar donated there anyway. so if u wanna help africa, you'd have to go to africa youself. :)