protection to runaway slaves. Traders made steady and systematic advance into West African interior. Treaties were made with African rulers to abolish the slave trade and slavery by the various advancing governments in West Africa, especially the British and the French, as they established their control over West Africa. In 1900, the various countries of West Africa were taking shape. (p.104).
Buxton was made a baronet for his work. He died in 1845 and was known in England as “the friend of Africa”. His work ensured the grass root abolition of slave trade in Africa.
delivered another speech to Commons, seeking to introduce a bill to prevent further importation of slaves into the West Indies. Citing Wilberforce (Shelley 2008) asserts: “never, never will we desist till we have wiped away this scandal from the Christian name, released ourselves from the load of guilt and extinguished every trace of this bloody traffick” (p.368).
Though oratory was inadequate, support was growing stage by stage. The Clapham Sect learned two basics of politics in a democracy: first was how to create public opinion and second was how to bring pressure of that opinion on the government. Thus, those Evangelicals fanned the flame and carried the fire to parliament where Wilberforce and four colleagues from Clapham – the ‘saints’ in commons tried to arouse complacent leaders to put a stop to the inhuman slave trade. The Clapham Sect were foremost in promoting schemes for social betterment throughout the land and in this respect, favourably influenced the legislature. Renwick (1968) observed that apart from the abolition of slavery, the most outstanding achievements of the Clapham Sect was the part taken by its members, along with others, in forming in 1799, the Church Missionary Society, now the largest society of its kind in the British Commonwealth.
In addition to notable members of the group like Wilberforce, Charles Grant, Granville Sharp and others, men like Simeon of Cambridge, whose missionary zeal was amazing, and Thomas Scott, the Bible commentator were connected to its foundation. The society spread to India, West Africa, the Niger, Victoria Nyanza, Egypt, Palestine, Persia, China and Japan.
Among the outstanding men who served the society was Henry Martin, a senior Wrangler who has been described as Cambridge’s greatest missionary, and whose memory is perpetuated by the Henry Martin Hall in that city. He took up missionary work in Calacutta in 1806, and in a short time translated the New Testament and the English Church Prayer Book into Hindustani.
The bold steps taken by those Anglican Evangelicals known as the Clapham Sect and the success achieved against slavery has left in great measure, indelible impression in the activities of the Anglican Communion in Britain today. According to Carnegie (cited by Anglican Alliance, 2014), it is truly shocking and heart breaking to hear the accounts of men, women and children who have been trafficked and enslaved. There are many important initiatives in different parts of the Anglican Communion. This consultation is to enable them learn together from their experiences and to shape a stronger collective response to end this crime against humanity.
Anglicans from across the Communion gathered in Rome, Italy from 3rd to 7th November, 2014 to discuss their churches work to end human trafficking and modern slavery. The consultation was convened by the Anglican Alliance and hosted by the Archbishop of Canterbury’s representative to the Holy See, Archbishop Sir David Moxon. The purpose of the consultation was to learn about the work of churches around the Anglican Communion in tackling modern slavery and human trafficking. The group reflected on the most effective approaches and agreed on recommendations for a communion-wide response. These focus on the prevention of trafficking and slavery, protection and support for survivors, prosecution of perpetrators, and policy and advocacy work with government and the private sectors.
The issue of human slavery is a growing global crisis, with recent estimates of nearly 30 million people oppressed in slavery in almost every part of the world. The issue has been raised in every regional consultation held by the Anglican Alliance, and so has now been identified as a global priority. The Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope have jointly committed to tackle human slavery, giving their blessing to the ecumenical and inter-faith initiative through the Global Freedom Network launched in Rome in March, 2014. The essence of the gathering was to consider how Anglican Communion can be more effective in working together and collaborating with other faith communities and secular partners to end modern slavery. Though a huge and daunting challenge, there is a resolve to face the
challenge as evil will thrive if humanity stands by and does nothing while the most vulnerable suffers at the hands of traffickers. The joint statement of the Global Freedom Network signatories which underscores the searing personal destructiveness of modern slavery and human trafficking calls for urgent action by all other Christian churches and global faiths.
The old slavery abolitionists foresaw the challenges the abolition of slavery would pose. That was why a land was acquired for their resettlement. Anene (1966) acknowledges that “the establishment of Freetown was a practical measure undertaken by British Philanthropists to settle emancipated slaves at Sierra Leone” (p.108). Agwu (1998) observes that these freed slaves settled in Sierra Leone were taught various trades. Attention was given to boys to learn different trades which made it possible for the colony to produce carpenters, bricklayers, surveyors, smiths and tailors. To crown the development of education, the Fourah Bay College was established by the CMS founded by the Clapham Evangelicals. The school started with 6 students among whom was Samuel Ajayi Crowther. Crowther was rescued from a slave ship by the British Naval Patrol Squadron in 1823. Fifty years later, Fourah Bay was affiliated to the University of Durham. This enabled Africans to obtain University degrees in their native soil.
One of the abolitionists, Zachary Macaulay became the first Governor of Freetown. Fowell Buxton initiated the Niger Mission with the intention of replacing the slave trade with a legitimate trade. We could see how the effort of those European Christian humanitarians brought relief to freed slaves and other good things to Nigeria in particular and West Africa in general. Agwu (1998) asserts:
The Christian Missionaries came into Sierra Leone in the critical period in the history of the colony. It was a period when the services of all types of humanitarians were really required; the missionaries rose up to the occasion by giving valuable selfless
services to the colony. As a result, they produced lasting and enduring impact in the colony. From the colony, the products of missionaries were of valuable usefulness to the rest of West Africa. The colony became a lamp in a dark place which eventually provided the whole of West Africa with very bright light. (p.22).
Granville Sharp and William Wilberforce and other British humanitarians had aimed for a Christian colony with a Christian charter and peopled by Christians of African descent. It did not take long for their dreams to materialize as Freetown was chosen for the experiment.
Whenever slaves were liberated, they were taken to the colony and confronted with Christian faith and given an opportunity to receive an education.
The first professional class of West Africans was produced in Sierra Leone. Examples were John Thorpe, the first African Lawyer (1848); J.D. Horton, the first medical doctor (1850);
Samuel Ajayi Crowther, the first African Bishop (1864); Samuel Lewis, the first African Knight (1896). Samuel Lewis was the first Newspaper owner and editor and the first to be given Cambridge and Oxford degrees. The Creole from Sierra Leone also sat in the legislative council of the Gambia and Nigeria; in Ghana, they served as colonial treasurer, and registrar of Supreme Court, district officers and post-master-generals; in Gambia, a Creole was the Chief Justice. These Sierra Leone emigrants were to have an immense influence in West Africa, for they brought new ideas and aspirations to the peoples they settled among and can be regarded as among the pioneers of African nationalism.