The politics of Catholic education in Zambia: 1891-1964.

The Catholic Church as represented by the White Fathers (today known as Missionaries of Africa) arrived in Northern Rhodesia (Zambia today (1)) in 1891. Until the arrival of the first Jesuits in 1905, they were the sole Catholics in the territory. As part of their method of evangelization, both the White Fathers and the Jesuits started basic schools almost from the beginning. Within a short time, this led them into ongoing contact with the secular government, which until 1924 was the British South Africa Company (B.S.A.C.) and the colonial government from 1924 to 1964.

This study will focus both on the Catholic societies' initial contact with territorial government and on how the school became the locus of conflicting interests between the Catholic Church and particularly the Protectorate government. Though the B.S.A.C. government made demands like that of the "spheres of influence" policy on churches that were operating schools, it avoided major dashes with the Catholics. However, with the advent of the British Protectorate government in 1924, this changed. As the Catholic Church committed itself more forthrightly to schooling through the interventions of Monsignor Arthur Hinsley, it battled to maintain Catholic schools for Catholic children, as the new government endeavored to ensure that schools would be more professional and multidenominational. We will identify how, despite various ordinances directed at control at the primary level and pressure from both government and other denominations at the higher levels, Catholics substantially retained their schools for their children up to the dawn of Zambia's independence in 1924. Over the period, the concept of "school" expanded. Until 1924, "school" meant primary education to Grade IV level but from 1926 and 1949 it also embraced education at the teacher training and secondary levels.

THE ARRIVAL OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN ZAMBIA

The White Fathers' arrival in Zambia in 1891 was negotiated mainly with local rulers. They formed the first European settlement in Bembaland under the direction of Fr. (later Bishop) Joseph Dupont, more popularly known as Moto-Moto (Fire-Fire). Despite severe criticism from Chitimukulu, Paramount Chief of the Bemba, the Fathers opened another mission at Kayambi in 1895. Dupont made further efforts to penetrate Bemba territory, but Chief Mwamba would not entertain any such idea until in 1898 when he became ill and sent for Dupont whose healing skills had become well known. As a result of what he did for Mwamba, Dupont was appointed successor to the chieftainship. He swiftly informed the governor of the situation and, after consultation with thirty-three local chiefs, he urged the governor of the British South Africa Company (B.S.A.C.) to take control in order to prevent the customary human sacrifices on the death of a chief and possible civil war. On 3 November, the British administrators sent Charles MacKinnon and R.A. Young to take possession of the territory. However, to the astonishment of Dupont, they told him that he had no permission to remain. They informed him that this was the order of Sir Robert Codrington, the new governor. Dupont was not a person to accept a decision of this nature easily, especially since, as he emphasized, he had opened Bembaland to British control. As might be expected, Dupont remained, and, as a gesture of reconciliation on the part of the administration, he was invited to sit beside Codrington at the installation of Mwamba's successor in June 1899. (2) A government post was meanwhile set up in the country. (3)

Some years before, in 1879, the Jesuits had been entrusted with responsibility for what was known as the Zambezi Mission which stretched from the Limpopo river northwards to Congo, present-day Democratic Republic of the Congo (Zaire). In 1902, Mgr. Sykes, the superior of the Zambezi Mission, contacted Major Codrington at Kalomo and requested a site for a mission. After forwarding the request to the London Office of the B.S.A.C, the Jesuits were granted ten thousand acres in Chief Monze's territory.

Two French Jesuits, Fr. Joseph Moreau and Jules Torrend, arrived in the southern part of Zambia, Chikuni, in 1905. Within a short time, Fr. Moreau's companion, Fr. Torrend, left the Chikuni mission and settled in what is presently Kasisi, some distance from Lusaka. In 1910, because of anti-clerical leadership in Portugal, many preponderantly Polish Jesuits working in Mozambique were forced to leave. As a result, they migrated into Northern Rhodesia and started missions at Kapoche in 1910, Katondwe in 1911, and Chingombe in the Luangwa valley in 1914. In the typical Jesuit tradition of founding schools, Chingombe, Kasisi, and Katondwe soon began catechists training centers. In 1921, Kasisi, through the influence of Fr. Torrend, became the center of the Jesuit missionary endeavor in the area.

Thus the arrival of the Catholic Church in Zambia was negotiated with the B.S.A.C. While the early days in the territory witnessed some difficult times for the White Fathers, it appears that the advent of the Jesuits, like that of most missionary groups, was smooth. In general, the B.S.A.C. was happy to have Christian missionaries in its territory. Yet, while the Company and the Catholic Church appeared to have mutual aims in entering the territory, it is important to note that the Catholic societies came to convert the peoples to Catholicism and were only ready to cooperate with government insofar as this objective was achieved.