The missionary presence.

   

    Tanzania has had numerous missionary influences over the years. If anything Tanzania has so many options when it comes to religion and what to believe. Not only do they have the ideas and things the ancestors or tribal people believe but they also have tons of people coming from other countries preaching, building, and teaching. I cannot help but think how over loaded some may have been as they sought out what is truth for their own lives. I would imagine it is difficult to choose just one however many Tanzanians have chosen to practice one or two religions.


    Tanzania saw a presence of missionaries as early as the 1830s. In the surrounding countries there was a lot of strife and world powers attempting to gain further control. After the Napoleonic wars Tanzania saw missionaries coming by way of caravan routes. One thing that is interesting to note is that some of the first missionaries did not have a specific agenda to convert people or spread the good news. Some first concerns were to send word to Europeans about Arab slave trade and even assisted in ending it. Islam and the Muslim  religion had a significant presence in Tanzania; primarily Zanzibar. With this religion already established in Tanzania, the missionaries that came were up against this mindset.

    During the 16th century Portugal sent missionaries to Tanzania. They attempted to establish churches however in the 17th century they stopped their efforts. Bagaymoyo is where the presence of these missionaries were and some of the first converts came from here. Bagaymoyo not only became home to churches but also stood as refugee center for slaves. Again the purpose of the missionaries shifted from establishing churches to assisting the people in a real tangible way by providing basic necessities for the people. Soon the Roman Catholic church began to have presence along the coast. At around the same time the Anglican church is sending people and also German missionaries are coming. The German missionaries arrived during the 19th century in Dar es Salaam. During the wars; WWI and WWII; missionaries were in an out of Tanzania. The Lutheran church also became involved and sent help to Tanzania. Scandinavians, Swedish, and Danish missionaries came to aid as well.

   The presence of missionaries in Tanzania became more like aid workers. The slave trade was a big deal and some were beginning to be released. Many of them had no where to go so the churches that were established became homes for them. At first the missionaries were people who got information on the happenings and dealings with Europe then over time progressed to really attempting to meet tangible needs of the people. Many churches also established schools so not only informants and aid workers but also educators. Even today, the church is sort of an all encompassing entity.






Sources:

Fahlbusch, Erwin, Encyclopedia of Christianity, WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, Grand Rapids/Cambridge.