The Evangelical Missionary Society for German East Africa

In July 1901, the Evangelical Missionary Society for German East Africa had its mission house built at Zehlendorfer Straße 55 (today Finckensteinallee) in Lichterfelde in today's district of Steglitz-Zehlendorf. It was the third missionary society in Berlin to proselytize in the colony of "German East Africa". In 1902, 26 missionaries were working in the service of the society. [1]

Even though almost all missionary societies are connected in different ways with, encourage and profit from the colonial expansion of the German Empire, the Evangelical Missionary Society for German East Africa is an explicitly colonial foundation. It was founded in 1886 as the German-East African Missionary Society by leading forces of the colonial movement. [2] Carl Peters, who established the colony "German East Africa" (today: Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi) with fraud and violence and is known among Africans as the "bloody hand" due to his brutality, was also significantly involved in the founding. For many of the founding members, it was a matter of explicitly putting the mission at the service of colonial expansion, and Carl Peters also thought about how it could be a "working factor" in the "development of East Africa". [3] The colonial-friendly Carl Gotthilf Büttner, who lived in Grunewaldstraße in Steglitz from 1890 onwards, became the society's mission inspector. [4] In a treatise from 1885 entitled "Christianity and Colonial Policy", he argued that "the colonial undertakings of our empire in South West Africa were essentially linked to the work of the German missionaries, who laid the foundation for civilisation there through the preaching of the Gospel." [5] In fact, Büttner himself was also involved in these "colonial undertakings": in 1885, he traveled to what is now Namibia on behalf of the German government. Due to his language skills and his contacts, the former missionary – like many others – was hired to conclude the fraudulent colonial treaties (so-called "protection treaties"). In this way, he contributed to the founding of the colony "German South West Africa". [6] The beginnings of the missionary society thus clearly belong to the colonial movement. [7] There are many overlaps, both financially and in terms of personnel. This was criticized early on by the so-called "old" mission societies. Gustav Warneck, a theologian associated with the Berlin Missionary Society in Friedrichshain, rejected the foundation as too colonialist. [8] Nevertheless, the two societies cooperated with each other. [9] However, conflicts also arose within the missionary society itself, which ended in 1887 with the resignation of Carl Peters and the renaming of the company the Evangelical Missionary Society for German East Africa . [10] Subsequently, the first missionary was sent out and the first mission station was founded near Dar es Salaam. [11]

But this colonial mission did not remain without reaction. When the East African coastal population resisted colonization in 1888/89, the mission station was also attacked because of its close ties to the German East African Society . Only when the resistance was violently suppressed by the German Empire was the missionary society able to continue its work in 1890. [12]

At the same time, conflicts also unfold around Büttner, who lives in Steglitz. He critically comments on an article from the German Colonial Newspaper, in which the inhumane treatment of the colonized people is jovially reported, and concludes that "if our compatriots treat the natives in such a way, then one should not be surprised that their bile finally overflows and that they take up arms. And one can imagine how bad it may have been sometimes if one dares to publicly boast of such misdeeds." [13] As a result, he was dismissed from service in 1889. [14] Although Büttner criticized the violence in the colony here, he by no means rejected colonization as such.

Even when Friedrich von Bodelschwingh became chairman of the society in 1890 and thus the concrete connections to the colonial movement diminished, the society's ties to German colonialism remained close. Bodelschwingh, under whose chairmanship there was a caesura and an upswing in the history of the society,[15] was himself considered a "great supporter of colonial acquisitions." [16] The idea of one's own religious and cultural superiority continued to be central. This becomes clear when Bodelschwingh compares "the pagans" with children or with "the epileptic". [17] The Christian mission is understood as a central factor in the "education" of the supposed "cultural upliftment". Work also proves to be elementary for this. Bodelschwingh himself formulates this as follows: "so also for our dear blacks, work, even if it would not bring any profit according to earthly calculations, is a necessary means of education, and our baptized Christians must be far ahead of all other natives in this respect. Christianity and persevering diligence must be described to them as something intimately connected and laziness must be presented as a vice that can never be united with a true Christian life." [18] This labor doctrine is consistently enforced even in emergency situations. [19] It is therefore not surprising that the mission stations are also usually affiliated with "work facilities" – which "at the same time have the value of accustoming blacks to more intensive work"[20] – or plantations. [21]

It becomes clear that the Christian mission in the 19th century often did not "only" intend to Christianize, but that the declared goal was rather tantamount to a "comprehensive socio-economic change". [22] To this end, the missionary societies also rely on cooperation with the colonial state. The missionaries act as translators and tax collectors, and the missionary societies rely on the protection of the colonial military.

The missionary work and the intended supposed "education" by the missionary society, which expanded under Bodelschwingh, did not remain without resistance. It is difficult today to present the perspective of the African people on missionary work. However, even in missionary sources, resistance is repeatedly reported indirectly. In 1902, for example, it was said that Christianity had to struggle with an "incredibly tenacious resistance of conservative paganism" on one station. [23]

In 1907, the society moved to Bethel. It sold its mission house to the parish. In 1919, it was taken over by the Oriental Women's Mission – the first German women's missionary society that had previously worked in Moabit. [24] It was founded as early as 1842 as the "Women's Association for Christian Education of the Female Sex in the Orient" and became a pioneer organization of the German Protestant Women's Mission. [25] The founders were convinced that "a sustainable, truly Christian education would be disseminated among the non-Christian peoples of Asia, preferably through the converts of the female sex." [26] To this end, the Society sent out teachers and unmarried missionary sisters independently and in cooperation with other missionary societies. At the beginning of the 20th century, in cooperation with the Berlin Missionary Society in Friedrichshain, missionary sisters were also sent to the German colony of Kiautschou (Jiaozhou) "to work among the female sex." [27] From 1919 onwards, the house in Finckensteinallee became a "permanent center" of the mission's work as a nursing home for Bible students and missionary sisters as well as a Bible school. [28] The house was severely damaged in the Second World War, but was rebuilt after the war and used as a training center for girls and women until 1969. Today, the building houses the headquarters of the Morgenland Foundation, which emerged from the Oriental Women's Mission, as well as the Hotel Morgenland.