Saah, Richard Babonjo (1990) The Prophet William Wadeh Harris and the Harrist Church in Cote D'ivoire and in Liberia. PhD thesis, The Catholic Higher Institute of Eastern Africa.
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Abstract
During the last few decades historians, missionologists and social anthropologists have shown an increasing interest in African Independent Church Movement. A glance at the bibliographical materials supplied in the study is enough show that even in our area of interest the available sources are truly impressive. The missionaries were the first scholars to study, observe and record the history of these movements. Despite their noble intentions, they wrote about these movements. Despite their noble intentions, they wrote about these movements in terms of the attitudes and theories current in their times. These missionaries not only subscribed to the imperialist ideas but actually saw them as the fulfillment of biblical prophecies. The often repeated and accepted assumption is that, African spirituality is the magnet that is pulling them irresistibly, to form these movements. Too much emphasis has been given on one set of causal factos to the neglect of others. In the first place, this study aims at giving critical factors that influence and determine the emergence of African Independent Church Movements. The socio-economic, religious and political developments in colonial and post-independence Africa are responsible for the rise, growth and develop merit of these movements. In each of these phases wer have the internal and external factors at play. Secondly, this study will attempt to describe and critically interpret the life, movement and doctrine of the Prophet Harris and the Harrist Chutch in its present form. Throughout the numerous interpretation of the Prophet Harris’ Movement and Harrist Church, the common assumption is that Harris was called to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He denounced and destroyed fetishes, baptized thousands of permitted polygamy and mingled elements of beliefs and which were Christian and African in origin. The tradition is the one that has changed most. The exponents of this assumption shared the utopianism of the missionary tradition, and they believed that the Prophet Harris’ Movement elevated his people to the level of civilized Christian. Instead of concerning themselves with the causes of Africans’ resistance to colonial rule, they were presented merely a reflection of the colonial era by their interest in the origin, nature and effects of colonial laws. Little thought has been given to Harris’ political activities before his prophetic ministry, the Grebo traditional society and the doctrine of Harris and the Harrist Church in Cote d’Ivoire and in Liberia. And thirdly, it was remarkable how quickly conversion to Harris’ Movement took place once his preaching began. It should be noted that Cote d’Ivoire one of the areas of West Africa that was explosed Europe through trade and mission was ruthlessly conquered between 1900 and 1914. To pacify the area whole villages were resettled and recalcitrant Chiefs deported. The French Colonial Government also drafted thousands of Ivoirians for the First World War, so much that the Colonial Governor himself called the action a Manhunt.The Prophet Harris appeared in Cote d’Ivoire in the midest of socio-economic and political breakdown. Therefore, this study will analyses the impact of the Prophet Harris’ teaching on the people. More importantly; we may see that the incipiency of the Harrist Movement is not unrelated to the power of African traditional religions. This study “is rightly concerned with all three of” these factors and no historian can ignore any of them, but I would suggest that the third “factor is pecuraly relevant to considerations of the impact of the Prophet Harris. To substantiate these claims, I critically venture a historical study of these three factors.
| Item Type: | Thesis (PhD) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Church in Cote D'ivoire and in Liberia, the Prophet William Wadeh Harris, the Harrist Church |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DT Africa |
| Divisions: | Afro-Christiana |
| Depositing User: | Mr Christopher Mapunda |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Jul 2015 13:17 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jul 2015 13:17 |
| URI: | http://thesisbank.jhia.ac.ke/id/eprint/255 |
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