The emergence of religious studies in sub-Saharan Africa is directly related
to the interaction between the region and European expansionist policies. Of
particular significance is the role of Christian missionaries in setting up
educational institutions in the region. As was the case in Europe, religious
studies emerged out of the matrix of theology. Most educational institutions
in sub-Saharan Africa that emerged during the colonial period were established
by missionaries.
Following the partitioning of Africa at the Berlin Conference of 1884–
1885, colonialists did not place emphasis on the educational advancement of
Africans. Rather, it was missionaries who regarded literacy as a part of
Christian identity. Consequently, missionaries established schools where
Africans could access education. The mission school became an agent for social
change and attracted young people in Africa (Isichei 1995: 237). Both Catholic
and Protestant missionaries regarded the mission school as a strategic resource
for evangelization.
After around 1920, following World War I, colonial governments in Africa
began to make significant investments in African education. However, it is
crucial to observe that the emergence of religious studies in particular African
countries depended on the policy of the colonial power towards religion. As
a result, religious studies tended to thrive in British colonies. On the other
hand, French colonies did not develop religious studies as the separation
between church and state in France was quite acute. In addition, while the
British sought to promote religious training and moral instruction, at least in
theory, the French policy of assimilation was designed to establish French
culture in Africa (Ter Haar 1990: 36–37). This has resulted in Anglophone
and Francophone regions having different patterns in the field of religious
studies. Former Portuguese and Belgian colonies also did not develop religious
studies.
It is also important to bear in mind that Islamic education has influenced
the character of religious studies in sub-Saharan Africa. Indeed, ‘Islamic schools
and universities flourished centuries before the arrival of Christianity and
Western education’ (Ter Haar 1990: 24). Islam has a long history in West
Africa, resulting in the development of African Islam. It has formed the basis
of the education system of some of the countries in this part of the continent.
The academic study of religion in sub-Saharan Africa has therefore been
influenced by Islamic education.
Religious studies in sub-Saharan Africa is linked to the emergence of
universities in the region. Most of the universities were founded after World
War II. However, Fourah Bay College ‘was founded in 1827 by CMS (Church
Missionary Society), and affiliated to Durham University in 1876, reconstituted
in 1926 and incorporated into the University of Sierra Leone in 1960’ (Platvoet
1989: 107). Fourah Bay was meant to produce an educated Christian ministry,
attracting students from Anglophone West Africa (Walls 2004: 209). The106
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