Light from the Coast

The faith behind the book

Samuel Johnson was a Yoruba clergyman of the Church Missionary Society — born in Sierra Leone, raised in the Ibadan mission, and ordained a pastor at Oyo in 1880. He gave over twenty years to this book. Hear it from his own preface, and his brother's as its editor.

What led to this production was not a burning desire of the author to appear in print—as all who are well acquainted with him will readily admit—but a purely patriotic motive, that the history of our fatherland might not be lost in oblivion, especially as our old sires are fast dying out.

He is greatly indebted especially to the honoured David Kukomi, the patriarch of the Ìbàdàn Church, (the now sainted father of the Rev. R.S. Oyebode). Kukomi was a young man in the days of King Abiodun, and it was his fortune (or misfortune) to take part in the wars and other national movements of the period as a common soldier, and was thus able to give a clear and reliable account of the sayings, persons, and events of those stirring times, being a cool man of judgment, observant, and remarkably intelligent.

A SINGULAR misfortune, which happily is not of everyday occurrence, befel the original manuscripts of this history, in consequence of which the author never lived to see in print his more than 20 years of labour.

The manuscripts were forwarded to a well-known English publisher through one of the great Missionary Societies in 1899 and —mirabile dictu—nothing more was heard of them!

A written word for the gospel

Before the gospel — or this history — could be written in Yoruba, the language itself had to be given a written form. Johnson's introduction records how, and by whom.

THE Yoruba language has been classed among the unwritten African languages. The earliest attempt to reduce this language into writing was in the early forties of the last century, when the Church Missionary Society, with the immortal Rev. Henry Venn as Secretary, organized a mission to the Yoruba country under the leadership of one of their agents, the Rev. Henry Townsend, an English Clergyman then at work at Sierra Leone, and the Rev. Samuel Àjàyí Crowther, the first African Clergyman of the C.M.S., also at work in the same place.

After several fruitless efforts had been made either to invent new characters, or adapt the Arabic, which was already known to Moslem Yorubas, the Roman character was naturally adopted, not only because it is the one best acquainted with, but also because it would obviate the difficulties that must necessarily arise if missionaries were first to learn strange characters before they could undertake scholastic and evangelistic work. With this as basis, special adaptation had to be made for pronouncing some words not to be found in the English or any other European language.

Light from the coast

Now the gospel arrives. Johnson tells its coming as the dawning of light from the coast, and names what he believed made it take root.

CHRISTIANITY. Christianity was introduced by the Church Missionary Society in 1843, first into Abẹ́òkúta via Badagry, and from thence to Ìbàdàn in May 1851, and also to Ìjàyè. On January 10, 1852, the C.M.S. removed their base from Badagry to Lagos. From Abẹ́òkúta, mission stations were planted at the Oke Ogun and Egbado districts, from Ìbàdàn missions were planted at Ìwó, Mọ́dàkẹ́kẹ́, Ifẹ̀, Òṣogbo and Ilẹ̀ṣà. Missions were established also at Ọ̀yọ́ and Ogbomoso before the Ìjàyè war broke out in 1860, which put a stop to the progress of missions all over the country. The intertribal wars which followed and which convulsed the greater part of the country, and devastated large areas, prevented its growth northwards, but at Abẹ́òkúta where it was first planted, it grew so rapidly that at the time of the British occupation, Christian adherents could be numbered by thousands; schools had been established, and evangelistic work among the surrounding kindred tribes systematically undertaken and was being vigorously carried on.

Thus light began to dawn on the Yoruba country from the south, when there was nothing but darkness, idolatry, superstition, blood shedding and slave-hunting all over the rest of the country. There was an old tradition in the country of a prophecy that as ruin and desolation spread from the interior to the coast, so light and restoration will be from the coast interior-wards. This was a tradition of ages. Is not this event the beginning of its fulfilment? Whilst the Ẹ̀gbás were encamped before Ado, the Dahomians led out an expedition, and were on the march for Ilaro. It was privately reported to the Ẹ̀gbás that the Dahomians would suddenly fall on them and raise the siege. Hearing this the Ẹ̀gbás first sent out spies to ascertain their situation; they thereupon surprised the Dahomians one morning as they spread themselves about their camp airing and drying their accoutrements that had got wet from a drenching rain after a storm that took place on the previous evening. In the confusion of the flight the Ẹ̀gbás captured the standard of the Dahomian army, which was an umbrella made of the skins of different kinds of animals, and burnt it. It was said that the King of Dahomey negotiated for it, and would have redeemed it at any price, but as it had been destroyed, it could not be restored; and this was the cause of the mortal enmity and sworn hatred that has existed between successive Kings of Dahomey and the Ẹ̀gbás of Abẹ́òkúta unto this day. By the intervention of the Rev. Henry Townsend, the siege of Ado was raised after a duration of 5 or 6 years, and the Ẹ̀gbás returned home.

The Bible in the vernacular was the most potent factor in the spread of the religion. The sincerity of the converts, and the firm hold the religion has attained, have been fully tested by several bloody persecutions endured for the faith, through which they came out triumphant.

The forces organized for home defence chiefly against the Dahomian attacks contained a compact body of Christians under their own captain, the esprit de corps existing among them, and the invariable success which always attended their arms, won for them the respect and admiration, of their pagan rulers and countrymen. This contributed not a little to the cessation of persecutions and the increase of their number.

The establishment of the British protectorate saw the mission, established at Ìjẹ̀bú, where it has since been spreading phenomenally and also in the Ìjẹ̀ṣà and Èkìtì provinces. It is self propagating by means of the people learning to read the Bible in their own tongue. To God be the praise.

Faith into action: Johnson the peacemaker

Johnson's faith did not stay on the page. As the church grew, the long Sixteen Years' War was ravaging the country, and the pastor was drawn into ending it. One key as you read: with characteristic modesty, Johnson refers to himself only as “the writer.”

This Bále encouraged agriculture himself setting the example. Under such peaceful rule the Christians of Ìbàdàn numbering about 400 with their teachers thought it right to do honour to the Bále, who was well disposed to Christianity. They went in a body with the school children to his house, and he came out to receive them in the square in front of the house and a short service was held including the prayers for the King and all rulers. The Bále was immensely pleased and the Christian body enjoyed a pleasant day.

In an interview the writer (who happened to be at Lagos at the time) had with his Excellency on the 23rd of January the topic of conversation turned mainly on the state of things in the interior and he asked the writer to put down in writing an account of the interview, stating all he knew about the complications from the commencement, and what prospect there was of peace ; - also to give the names of the principal chiefs of Ìjẹ̀bú, Abẹ́òkúta, Ìbàdàn, Èkìtì, and Ìlọrin concerned in this war, and an account of the visits of the Rev. J. B. Wood to both camps in 1884, and also to state his opinion as to how they might receive some one like himself coming among them to settle their difference for them. This the writer did in a long letter to H. E. the Governor.

The Governor was then resolved to make use of the writer as a messenger to the Ìbàdàn camp, and of the Rev. C. Phillips to the Èkìtì camp.

The bearer of this letter, the Rev. Samuel Johnson is well known to you all, let me commend him to your kind care and consideration.

Meanwhile the Balógun was pleading his cause with the Awùjalẹ̀, after sending to him about six times to no good effect he had to go in person and urge the claims of the writer, reminding him of all he had undergone as the Governor’s messenger on behalf of peace since 1886, and begged the King to see him and hear from his own mouth a true explanation of the charges alleged against him. After two days the Awùjalẹ̀ relented and agreed to see him. The interview however was not in the day but about 8 p.m. "Ajose "(i.e., Johnson) said the Awùjalẹ̀, "Is that you? I heard that you are no more for peace but have joined the ALÁÀFIN in his intrigues." "No, sir," was the reply. "My going to Ọ̀yọ́ to reside was not of my own choice, but as an obedient servant I went where I was sent. I am like a rod in the hands of my masters, and wherever I am flung there I must be. Who am I to have a voice of my own in these great political matters? My calling is of a different kind and not political." The King replied, "Don’t you say so; your words have gained the ears of kings and mighty warriors lately, so you cannot think so meanly of yourself. I was so angry with you that I never intended to see your face any more, but thanks to the Balógun who vigorously pleaded your cause." The writer was allowed to proceed to Lagos, but he had to be accompanied by two escorts from the Balógun.

To show my esteem to you and my appreciation of the position you occupy I have asked the Rev. S. Johnson, who returns to his ministerial duties, to salute you and your people with my compliments and respect; and to wish well to you and yours.

A hope for the land

Johnson ends his long survey of the wars not with triumph, but with a prayer for his country.

When we have allowed for all the difficulties of a transition stage, the disadvantages that must of necessity arise by the application of rules and ideas of a highly civilized people to one of another race, degree of civilization, and of different ideas, we should hope the net result will be a distinct gain to the country. But that peace should reign universally, with prosperity and advancement, and that the disjointed units should all be once more welded into one under one head from the Niger to the coast as in the happy days of ABIODUN, so dear to our fathers, that clannish spirit disappear, and above all that Christianity should be the principal religion in the land—paganism and Mohammedanism having had their full trial—should be the wish and prayer of every true son of Yoruba.

A closing word from Ajayi Crowther

On the River Niger, 23 July 1854, Crowther fell into conversation with a chief named Tshukuma, and put a question to him:

"What would you think of any persons, who, in broad daylight like this, should light their lamps to assist the brilliant rays of the sun to enable them to see better?" He said, "It would be useless; they would be fools to do so." I replied, "Just so that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, was sufficient to take away our sins, just as one sun is sufficient to give light to the whole world: that the worship of country fashions, and numerous sacrifices, which shone like lamps, only on account of the darkness of their ignorance and superstition, though repeated again and again, yet cannot take away our sins: but that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, once offered, alone can take away the sin of the world." - "Oparra Tshuku! Oparra Tshuku!" Son of God! Son of God!

— Samuel Crowther, Journal of an Expedition up the Niger and Tshadda Rivers (London, 1855), pp. 21–22