The Impact of the Bremen Mission in the Volta Region of Ghana

Abstract

The arrival of the North German Missionary Society, also known as the Bremen Mission, in the Volta Region of Ghana was of great significance. Their contact with the people of the Volta Region marked the birth of the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana, and other developmental activities in Eweland. The study offers a missiological perspective of the influence of diverse activities of the Bremen Mission in early German missionised and colonial communities of Peki, Keta, Waya, Anyako, Ho and Amedzofe in the Volta Region. The study adopted missiological and historical methods for data collection and assessment. These methods were used to recount the history of the Bremen Mission and their encounter with the communities under study. Additionally, the methods helped in examining how the missionaries communicated the Gospel message to the indigenous people in their historical and socio-cultural milieu. Interviews were conducted to gather relevant information to augment the documentary sources. For the purpose of the study, contemporary photography was used to help in the assessment of the impact of the Bremen Mission in Eweland. The study revealed that as part of the Bremen Mission strategy, the missionaries selected some indigenous people who were empowered through education and professional training for the growth of mission. It also discovered that the zealous efforts of the Bremen missionaries with support from the indigenous agents, brought transformation to the Volta Region in the areas of Christianity, western formal education, cultural transformation, and empowerment of women, among others. It also indicated that the development and standardisation of the Ewe language contributed significantly to contemporary Ewe identity in Ghana.