Alfred Saker
Encyclopedia
Alfred Saker was a British missionary
who founded the Cameroon
city of Victoria, now Limbé (since 1982), in 1858.He translated the Bible
into Duala
between 1862 and 1872.
An English Baptist missionary, Alfred Saker arrived on the island of Fernando Po
in 1844, shortly after Joseph Merrick
and Joseph Jackson Fuller
, and established a mission near present-day Douala at the mouth of the Wouri River
in 1845. He rerurned to Fernando Po in about 1850.
In 1858, the Spanish authorities expelled the Protestant missionaries from Fernando Po and Alfred Saker returned to the mainland with a group of liberated slaves, and bought a large tract of land (16 km x 8 km) from King William of Bimbia
. The small group built a school, a church, and other buildings for the mission, thereby founding the city of Victoria, now Limbé (since 1982). They also faced problems of health or the hostility of the population. They opened churches, dispensaries and centers of care and trained a great number of Cameroonian pastors, tailors, shoe-makers, masons and carpenters who helped them build the Church of Béthel in 1860.
Considered by David Livingstone
to be the most influential missionary in West Africa. He envisioned great possibilities and tried to convince the English government to make this area a Crown Colony
.
A Baptist school in Limbe, Saker Baptist College
, is named after him.
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
who founded the Cameroon
Cameroon
Cameroon, officially the Republic of Cameroon , is a country in west Central Africa. It is bordered by Nigeria to the west; Chad to the northeast; the Central African Republic to the east; and Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, and the Republic of the Congo to the south. Cameroon's coastline lies on the...
city of Victoria, now Limbé (since 1982), in 1858.He translated the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
into Duala
Duala language
Duala is the language spoken by the Duala people of Cameroon. The language belonges to the Bantu language family, and a subgroup of it called the Duala languages...
between 1862 and 1872.
An English Baptist missionary, Alfred Saker arrived on the island of Fernando Po
Bioko
Bioko is an island 32 km off the west coast of Africa, specifically Cameroon, in the Gulf of Guinea. It is the northernmost part of Equatorial Guinea with a population of 124,000 and an area of . It is volcanic with its highest peak the Pico Basile at .-Geography:Bioko has a total area of...
in 1844, shortly after Joseph Merrick
Joseph Merrick (missionary)
Joseph Merrick was a Jamaican Baptist missionary who, assisted by Joseph Jackson Fuller, established the first successful mission on the Cameroon coast of Africa. Merrick began preaching in 1837 in Jamaica and was ordained a full missionary in 1838. In 1842, Reverend John Clarke and Dr. G. K...
and Joseph Jackson Fuller
Joseph Jackson Fuller
The Rev. Joseph Jackson Fuller , Baptist missionary to the pre-colonial African Chiefdoms of the Cameroons was one of the earliest slaves to be freed in Jamaica who went on to become well-educated and travel internationally...
, and established a mission near present-day Douala at the mouth of the Wouri River
Wouri River
The Wouri is a river in Cameroon. The river is formed at the confluence of the rivers Nkam and Makombé, northeast of the city of Yabassi. The Wouri then flows about southeast to the Wouri estuary at Douala, the chief port and industrial city in the southwestern part of Cameroon on the Gulf of...
in 1845. He rerurned to Fernando Po in about 1850.
In 1858, the Spanish authorities expelled the Protestant missionaries from Fernando Po and Alfred Saker returned to the mainland with a group of liberated slaves, and bought a large tract of land (16 km x 8 km) from King William of Bimbia
William I of Bimbia
William I of Bimbia, born Bile, was the chief and king of the Isubu ethnic group, who lived in Bimbia on the coast of Cameroon in the mid-to-late 19th century. British traders recognised the sovereignty of William's Bimbia and titled him "king". William sold land to the British missionary Alfred...
. The small group built a school, a church, and other buildings for the mission, thereby founding the city of Victoria, now Limbé (since 1982). They also faced problems of health or the hostility of the population. They opened churches, dispensaries and centers of care and trained a great number of Cameroonian pastors, tailors, shoe-makers, masons and carpenters who helped them build the Church of Béthel in 1860.
Considered by David Livingstone
David Livingstone
David Livingstone was a Scottish Congregationalist pioneer medical missionary with the London Missionary Society and an explorer in Africa. His meeting with H. M. Stanley gave rise to the popular quotation, "Dr...
to be the most influential missionary in West Africa. He envisioned great possibilities and tried to convince the English government to make this area a Crown Colony
Crown colony
A Crown colony, also known in the 17th century as royal colony, was a type of colonial administration of the English and later British Empire....
.
A Baptist school in Limbe, Saker Baptist College
Saker Baptist College
Saker Baptist College is an all-girls secondary school located in Limbe in Cameroon. It was founded in 1962 as one of the first two secondary schools for girls in Cameroon. Its inaugural class of 36 students arrived on January 29, 1962. The school has since grown to almost a thousand students...
, is named after him.