Source: The Christian Post, June 5, 2023
The Ghana National Association of Authors and Publishers has offered an apology and admitted to errors amid criticism from parents, educators, and the country’s deputy education minister for a textbook’s negative depiction of the impact Christian missionaries have had on the country.
In a statement, the association offered an “unqualified apology” to the Ministry of Education, The National Council for Curriculum and Assessment, Ghanaian Schools, Nananom, the Christian Council of Ghana, and “any Ghanaian who find the statements obnoxious.”
The book, titled History of Ghana for Basic Schools, Learners Book 4, reportedly touches on what it describes as the negative consequences of Christian missionary activities and claims Christianity has led to an increase in poverty in the country, according to Ghana’s largest English radio station.
As of the 2021 census, Christianity is the predominant faith in Ghana, practiced by 71.3% of the population across numerous denominations, [and] Islam constitutes the religious beliefs of 19.9% of the nation’s total populace.
Read the full story. It’s an interesting, current example of the debates about whether missionaries destroy cultures.
You might also enjoy reading about OneWay Ministries’ Livingstone School of Missions in Ghana.
Finally, from a different part of the world, hear what an American’s Filipino translation partner told him about how his parents responded when missionaries first arrived in their area (Ethnos360).