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A Colony of Heaven: Bishop Hannington and Freretown

Early Christian Mission in East Africa

by Dr. Warren S. Smith and Rev. Kennedy Ofundi

A Colony of Heaven: Bishop Hannington and Freretown
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A Colony of Heaven: Bishop Hannington and Freretown

Early Christian Mission in East Africa

by Dr. Warren S. Smith and Rev. Kennedy Ofundi

Published Apr 25, 2016
195 Pages
Genre: HISTORY / Africa / East



 

Book Details

A Colony of Freed Slaves in East Africa

Freretown, the colony of former slaves set up by the Anglican Church in Kenya in 1875, was an attempt to smooth the transition into normal life for former slaves in East Africa by giving the newly liberated Africans land, an education, and a place of safety. The colony had some spectacular failures but opened a new life for many. The first Bishop of East Africa, James Hannington, arrived in Freretown but was killed along with many of his followers in 1885 as he led an expedition to Uganda overland. Freretown was a glimpse of a dream come true: of a time when the Muslim ruler of East Africa could welcome Christian mission to Africa and see in it a mutual benefit for Christians and Muslims; and a time when English missionaries such as Hannington could see their goal as training native Africans for self-rule. By the end of the 19th century this dream had started to fade.

 

About the Author

Dr. Warren S. Smith and Rev. Kennedy Ofundi

Warren S. Smith is a Professor Emeritus of Classics at the University of New Mexico and the author of six books and many scholarly articles. He has taught in prisons in the U.S., at St. Andrew’s Seminary in the Philippines, and for 1 ½ years at Bishop Hannington Institute in Mombasa, Kenya, where he became fascinated with identifying old church buildings and interviewing men and women who still carried memories of the old days of Freretown and Hannington. His wife, Anne Marie Werner-Smith, also has taught in Mombasa and is deeply involved in overseas mission. Rev. Kennedy Ofundi is deacon and priest of the Anglican Church of Kenya, Mombasa diocese. He has published two books, “Church Symbols, Colours, and Doctrinal Instruction,” and “The African Student.” He was publisher of “The Glorious Awakening,” a Christian magazine.