BACKSTORY/ INSPIRATION
In The Footsteps Of Bishop Crowther
My name is Pelu Awofeso, and I’m a culture and travel writer based in Lagos. Over the past 20 years, I have travelled to different parts of Nigeria writing and documenting aspects of our national heritage; these include: festivals, coronations, monuments, historical sites and many more.
I have written lots of stories on my experiences on these journeys, from 32 of Nigeria’s 36 states. I have also published five books to date and two hard-copy magazines. Plus, I’ve produced three short documentaries. All these I have achieved through self funding.
Now, I am about to embark on my most ambitious project yet, and need your support to bring it to life. My project is on Bishop Samuel Ajayi Crowther, Africa’s first Anglican bishop who is largely responsible for the spread of Christianity in many parts of Nigeria, a country of 200 million people; about half the population is Christian.
31st December 2021 was the 130th anniversary of the death of Bishop Crowther, who later became an educator, translator and missionary, accomplishing several milestones in his lifetime before dying in 1891 at the age of 82.
The year 2022 also marked the 200th anniversary of the capture of a teenage Ajayi Crowther as a slave in 1821.
It is thanks to him that millions of Christians in Nigeria can read the Bible in their mother tongue. It is also thanks to him that Christianity spread to several communities in Nigeria, including places like Bonny Kingdom, Badagry. Ota, Abeokuta, Lokoja, Ogbomosho, Bida, Ilorin, Ibadan and Opobo, to mention just a few.
He is possibly the only individual of his generation whose name and accomplishments continue to be talked about nearly a century-and-a-half after his passing.
In Africa, we honour the memory of our dead, especially when they lived to be old and if they lived an accomplished and impactful life. Bishop Crowther was such a man.
For this project, and to honour his memory, I would love to journey through the villages and towns and cities that he visited as a missionary, see how much they have changed and what memorials of him are in those places; I’m also keen to document stories about him that residents of those places remember and share among themselves, not to mention any landmarks associated with him that also still exists.
The key deliverables for the Bishop Crowther project are:
- (1) a 6-part documentary;
- (2) a website; and
- (3) a series of books.
I estimate that the team will be travelling for a long while, across four political regions at least. It is, no doubt, a costly venture; it is the reason I’m asking for your support to help make it a dream come true.
But I should say at this point that this will not be my first effort of documenting stories of a historical personality; but it is the first time I will be travelling with a professional team, comprising a videographer, a cameraman, a historian and a blogger.
As a young reporter in 2004, I set out to follow the footsteps of the 19th century founder of the Sokoto Caliphate, Uthman dan Fodio in North-Western Nigeria; years later, I shifted my focus to the late Nigerian thespian filmmaker, Hubert Ogunde.
In September of 2020, I was at Imesi Ile and Okemesi, the centres of the infamous Kiriji War that destabilised yorubaland in the 19th century. And in April 2021, I was one of a few journalists to visit important heritage sites of the ancient Old Oyo Kingdom, which dominated a large area of present-day West Africa.
Later in the same year, I travelled to Akwa Ibom state to track the works and impact of the Scottish missionary Mary Slessor, who died early in the 20th century. My short film of that journey is published on my YouTube page.
I could go on and on.
I believe these documentations of these historical figures and events – and especially the values they stood for and the lessons they teach us — are necessary, for the benefit of both the present and future generations, not just in Africa but around the world. Bishop Crowther’s story is an inspiration, as much as it is one of peace-building in a world currently in crises. It is one I believe needs telling.
Thank You.
Pelu Awofeso
