Theophilus Opoku

Theophilus Opoku

human

Sex or gender	male
Date of birth	1842
Place of birth	Akropong
Date of death	7 Gyɔlaai 1913
Place of death	Akropong
Occupation	missionary
Educated at	Presbyterian College of Education, Akropong
Religion or worldview	Presbyterianism

Theophilus Herman Kofi Opoku (1842 – 7 July 1913) e la Akan tɛri muni eri, philologist, kankana aneŋ missionary faara naŋ yie African a die pastor a Gold Coast poɔ a ko Basel Mission a youni 1872 poɔ. Opoku neɛ German missionary aneŋ philologist Johann Gottlieb Christaller aneŋ Akan linguists, David Asante, Jonathan Palmer Bekoe, aneŋ Paul Staudt Keteku da lantaa eri Bible muni a gaa ne Twi Kɔkɔre.

Nyɔvori Piile Aneŋ Sakuuri Gaabɔ Yɛlɛ

Theophilus Opoku dɔgebɔ bebiri yuoni la a1842, O yie Akropong naŋ be Akuapem, a Yiri toori seŋi tu e la 48 km (30 miles) north a ga la Accra. Nana Yaw Darko, la o ba. A ba da e la linguist a ko paramount chief aneŋ Nana Akua Korantema. Yaw Darko da e practitioner a ko Akan saakonŋo Nwin pɔɔribo. O nabali da e la naa kpoŋ a ko Akropong, Omanhene, Nana Addo Dankwa. Opoku da la gaa la sakuuri a wa e missionary. A youni 1851 poɔ la ka o da gaa primary sakuuri naŋ be Akropong. O da wa e la deŋdew a ko Basel missionary, Rev. J. Mader a 1852 poɔ. Opoku da kpɛ la dɔgɛɛ yaga zaa poɔ a kyaare ne a daŋweɛ toma. O da e la baptised a 6 Gyɔnuari 1856 poɔ.

O da kpɛ la Basel Mission Seminary naŋ be Akropong a youni 1858 poɔ a te daari Greek, Hebrew, Latin, dogmatics, homiletics, theology aneŋ pedagy. O da la taa la sikiri baaloŋ ana saŋa neɛ ka bela da vein ka o laafiroŋ yɛlɛ da segie. Ba da gaanɔ tɛɛŋsagiraa zie Naŋ be Adenya, kɔɔraa kaŋa naŋ be Akropong. O da e la youni aneŋ jɛɛri ana tɛɛ ne zee. Ba da begɔɔ a yie kɔɔŋ nɔɔbɔŋ. A baaloŋ ŋa da vein la ka Opoku da bari a karinbɔ.

Missionary Yɛlɛ Aneŋ O Kiristo Toma

Theophilus Opoku

O da wa e la bibiiri karima a ko Mamfe sakuuri kaŋa naŋ be Akropong. O da la e la catechist a Larteh, south naŋ be Akropong saŋa ne o baaroŋ ne naŋ da dɔge o. Saŋa ne o naŋ da be Larteh la ka o da baŋ ka noba ne naŋ be bi ba e kiristo biiri ka bela da vein ka o da buura ka kiristo European missionary da wa be a Yiri. Bela la da vein la ka o da leɔ gaa Akropong. Ba da la gaanɔ Basel missionary, Johann G. Widmann. A pɔɔriŋ la ka o da leɔ gaa Larteh a te suŋ mission toma naŋ be beɛ. Ana saŋa ne a noba da sage la a mission yɛlɛ diɛ a kyaare ne saŋa ne o naŋ da Yele ko a Yiri bagabaga ka teeɛ kaŋa na lee koɔ o la ka o da ba sagi kyɛ ka bela da e. A yɛlɛ na da vein la ka Larteh noba zaa da to o pɔri boŋ so ba sagi o la di.

A youni 1868 poɔ la ka kiristo biiri bayiɛ da koɔ doɔgɔ kaŋa naŋ da e a Yiri saakoŋŋo ka bela da vein ka ba da bege a kiristo biiri zaa ka ba ta diɛ siimaa bee kɔɔo a yiri. Ba da maŋ gaa la yiri kaŋa ba naŋ bɔŋa Amanokrom a te diɛ siimaa aneŋ koɔ. A pɔɔriŋ la ka Opoku da te suri a yiri naa ka o da sagi ka ba diira simaa ne koɔ a yiri. Youni 1868 poɔ la ka ba da begi Mamfe noba ka ba ta la kpɛɛ la kiristo. Biipɔge ba ayiɛ da kpɛ la kiristo a youni (c. 1845 – 1928) poɔ.Opoku, da ko boŋ Germanic youri ka ana la , Wilhelmine aneŋ Maria. Ba da dɔgeri ba a waana saŋa ne British colonial Governor naŋ da wa diɛba bari.

A Saptemberi 1872 bɛbiri fara daari , la ka Johann G. Widmann, aneŋ Gold Coast historian, Carl Christian Reindorf aneŋ Jamaican Moravian missionary, Alexander Worthy Clerk a da lantaa ko Theophilus Opoku minista a kyaare ne Basel mission. Saŋa ne o naŋ da e kiristo ministry ne, o da gaa la yiri jemaa. Ka miŋe la Togoland aneŋ Northern Territories naŋ be Gold Coast a 1877 poɔ. O da sege la segele mineɛ saŋa ne o naŋ da be Salaga a youni 1884 poɔ. Ana segele ŋa Yele zɔɔ la ka Gonja noba dɔŋɛɛ deebɔ, silaamɛɛ Yele aneŋ trans-Saharan slave trade. O baaloŋ saŋa la ka o da yeŋ “Ohoho ne mamfrani na meye wo fam ha”.A youni 1877, la ka ba da irɔɔ gaa ne Kukurantumi naŋ be Akyem Abuakwa saŋa ne o Naŋ da ŋaa. A 1884 la ba da la gaa no , Adukrom, north naŋ be Akropong a da la gaa no Mamfe a 1891youni neɛ poɔ.Ba da la gaa no o Meŋa yiri, Akropong naŋ da be Twi District a 1899 poɔ.

A youni 1909, la ka a Local Committee naŋ be Aburi Basel Mission da ko Opoku committee memba, ka o na da na la African fara naŋ da taa aŋa toma ne. O da zaarɛ aŋa toma ne o baari la a kiristo toma zaa a youni 1911 ka o da e youmo 69.

Yele Muŋ Pilaa Toma

O neŋ David Asante, aneŋ Johann Gottlieb Christallerda lantaa segi Bible a gaa ne Twi teri. O la segi la saaŋdayele yɛlɛ a twi teri poɔ.Twi.

O Toma Miŋe

Opoku toma miŋe da la :

• Christaller, J. G., Asante, David, Opoku, Theophilus (1871) “Anyamesem anase Kyerew Kronkron Apam-dedaw ne Apam-foforo nsem wo Twi kasa mu” (“O leɔri a holy Bible a gaa ne Twi teri ”), Basel
• Opoku, Theophilus (1872). “Autobiographic sketch” sege la gama miŋe a ko private collection of the Rev. E. T. Koramoah, Akuropon, Akuapem.
• Opoku, Theophilus (1884) “Extracts from Theophilus Opoku’s diary,” taa la gama jemaa a Christian Messenger, Basel
• Opoku, Theophilus “Ɔhɔho ne mamfrani na meyɛ wɔ fam ha” - "I am a stranger and sojourner in this world" (Presbyterian hymn, PHB 791)

Meŋa Yɛlɛ

Theophilus Opoku kuli o pɔge fara da la Sophie Nyam a April 1868. Nyam da e la home science aneŋ domestic training a yie German educator aneŋ missionary, Rosina Widmann (née Binder), Johann G. Widmann pɔge. A Twi yiele la Ɛhe po na m’agyenkwa wɔ? A yiele muni la ka yieni ka N diera beɛ o yieni ka N diera be. ” Sophia Nyam da sege a yiele. Opoku aneŋ Nyam taa la biiri ba naari : Samuel Ata Obuobisa, Victor Immanuel Bampo, John A. Dako (Mensa), aneŋ Ernestina D. Korantema. O biedɔɔ fara la , Samuel Opoku ka o dɔge bebiri e Gyɛnɔry 1869. Saŋa ne ba naŋ da be Larteh la ka o pɔge Sophia a da kpɛɛ kyɛ barɔ o ka be la da ven ka Opoku da ŋeɛ sikiri baalon. A youni 1879, poɔ la ka o da la diɛ pɔge kaŋa ba naŋ da bɔna Anna Mary Engmann, a pɔge da e la Euro-African aneŋ Ga karima. Anŋ yɛlɛ ŋa da ba tuu sori ko a Christiansborg, Osu a coast saŋa. Engmann da taa la asthma baalon ka bela da e tiira yaga zaa a ko a ba yiri demɛ ŋa. Opoku aneŋ aŋa pɔge ŋa da taa la biiri bata ka ba na la Christian Emmanuel Akufo, Theodor Pratonus Aniapam Aneŋ Mina Asabea. Ba da la taa la biizaara kaŋa ba naŋ da bɔŋa , Jacob Yaw Mose Owusu.

Kɔɔŋ Aneŋ Kɔɔri Maaloŋ

A youni 1913 poɔ la ka o da kpee. Saŋa ne Theophilus Opoku aŋ da gaa o cocoa yɔɔ naŋ da be Suhyen la ka baaloŋ da kpɛ o. I da moo la ka o da ta Akropong kyɛ ka o da kpee soriŋ. A 6 July 1913 poɔ la ka o da kpee. Christ Presbyterian Church la da e kɔɔri maaloŋ, Akropong poɔ. 7 July 1913 ka ka Basel missionary ba naŋ da bɔna Nicholas Timothy Clerk a da die o kyeŋ. O da e la District Minister a ko Larteh. A pɔɔriŋ ka o da wa e Synod Clerk a ko Presbyterian Church naŋ da be a Gold Coast a yie 1918 a wa to 1932.

Yɛlɛ O Naŋ Da e Bari

A Gold Coast historian aneŋ pastor, Carl Christian Reindorf (1834 – 1917) woɔle yele mine a Basel missionaries naŋ da e a youni 1850 aneŋ 1875 poɔ.Theophilus Opoku's Nyvoɔri toma miŋe la:

“ O waa na laŋtaa Nwini pɔɔrɔ , O waa 'nɛɛ sakuuri jemaa.schools founded, O leɔri a Bible a yie nasaari a gaa ne Twi tiri. O da leɔri sakuuri biiri aneŋ kiristo biiri gama a gaa neɛ Twi tiri. O da la suŋ la kɔɔbo Yele. Ba da la mɛɛ la church ka catechists pastors da e a nymbe dɛɛra a youni 1868 aneŋ a 1878 poɔ. The report of 1879 says: Revs. Alexander Clerk, Christian Reindorf aneŋ Theophilus Opoku da neɛɛ pɔgibɔ a yie a Committee.

Saaŋdayele

• Debrunner, H. W. (1967) “A kiristo biiri Yele naŋ pari a Ghana paaloŋ poɔ.”, Accra: Waterville Publishing House
• Iheanacho, Maureen O. (2013).Christianising a Heathen Theophilus Opoku's Mission aneŋ Ministry a Nineteenth-century Gold Coast AmaraZaane CSL
• Iheanacho, Maureen O. (2014). "Theophilus Opoku, Indigenous Pastor aneŋ Missionary Theologian, 1842-1913." Sub Saharan Publishers
  • Iheanacho, Maureen O. (ed.) (2018).By Foot to Salaga Theophilus Opoku's Diary of a Momentous Journey (1877) Dots Concept
  • Keleku, H. K. (1965) “David Asante and Theophilus Opoku,” Accra: Waterville Publishing House