THE GROWTH OF CHRISTIANITY AND WESTERN EDUCATION IN MBANO SOCIETY OF IGBOLAND, 1912-1990

Abstract

Christianity and Western education are two colonially induced institutions that emboldened European activities in Igboland nay Mbano society. The trajectory of their growth and spread remain unprecedented in the course of social change in the area. The pattern of growth and influence cannot be easily papered over. It is indeed, significant to the overall change and continuity of the history of Mbano people. The nexus between Christianity and Western education and impact in Mbano can be gleaned from the periscope of their activities that significantly reflected in the lives of the people. These impacts remained unstudied by historians and researchers of auxiliary disciplines. This paper interrogates the growth of Christianity and Western education in Mbano and the extent to which their activities influenced the people and their way of life. It demonstrates that much of what is seen as European influence in Mbano area remain the relics of Christianity and Western education. The orthodox historical-narrative method is employed and the work is presented chronological and thematically. Sources were distilled from both primary and secondary materials. The qualitative research methodology was explored in analyzing the data used for the paper.