Theophilus Opoku

**Theophilus Herman Kofi Opoku** (1842 – 7 July 1913) e la Akan bal, leɛleɛrɛ, philologist, kankanna aneŋ  missionary faara naŋ yie  African a die pastor a Gold Coast poɔ a ko  Basel Mission a yuoni 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 era  Bible muni a gaa ne kombong kɔkɔre.

## Nyɔvore Piile Aneŋ Sakuuri Gaabo Yɛlɛ
Theophilus Opoku dɔgebo bebiri yuoni la a 1842, O yie  Akropong naŋ be  Akuapem,  a yiri toori  seŋe tu e la 48 km (30 miles) north a ga la Accra. Nana Yaw Darko, la o ba. A ba da e la  naa kyieme a ko  namine nakpong aneŋ Nana Akua Korantema. Yaw Darko da e  practitioner a ko  Akan saakonnong Nwine pɔɔribo. O nabale da e la  naa kpoŋ a ko   Akropong, Omanhene, Nana Addo Dankwa. Opoku da la gaa la sakuuri a wa e  missionary. A yuoni  1851 poɔ la ka o da gaa  primary sakuuri naŋ be Akropong. O da wa e la deŋdeŋ 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 Gyenoore 1856 poɔ. 

O da kpɛ la Basel Mission Seminary naŋ be  Akropong a yuoni 1858 poɔ a te daare Greek, Hebrew, Latin, dogmatics, homiletics, theology aneŋ pedagy. O da la taa la sikiri baaloŋ ana saŋa neɛ ka be la da vein ka o laafeeloŋ yɛlɛ da sigi la. Ba da gaane tɛɛŋsagiraa zie naŋ be  Adenya, kɔɔraa kaŋa naŋ be Akropong. O da e la yuoni aneŋ severe ana tɛɛ ne zee. Ba da begɔɔ a yie kɔɔŋ nɔɔbɔŋ. A baaloŋ ŋa da vein la ka Opoku da bare a zannoo.

## Missionary Yɛlɛ Aneŋ O Kiristo Toma

O da wa e la bibiiri karema 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 be la da vein ka o da buura ka kiristo European missionary da wa be a yiri. Fee da vein la ka o da leɛ gaa  Akropong. Ba da la gaane Basel missionary, Johann G. Widmann.  A poɔreŋ la ka o da la gaa Larteh a te soŋ 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 sage kyɛ ka bela da e.  A yɛlɛ na da vein la ka  Larteh noba zaa da to o pore boŋ so ba sage o la di. 

A yuoni 1868 poɔ la ka kiristo biiri bayi da koɔ dogebo kaŋa  naŋ da  e a yiri saakonnoo ka bela da vein ka ba da bege a kiristo biiri zaa ka ba ta die siimaa bee kɔɔbo a yiri. Ba da maŋ gaa la yiri kaŋa ba naŋ bɔŋa  Amanokrom a te die siimaa aneŋ koɔ.  A pɔɔriŋ la ka Opoku da te suri a yiri naa ka o da sage ka ba dire simaa ne koɔ a yiri. Yuoni  1868 poɔ la ka ba da begi Mamfe  noba ka ba ta la kpɛ la kiristo. Bipɔge ba ayi 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 diriba bare. 

A Saptembere 1872 bebiri 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 1891 yuoni neɛ poɔ.Ba da la gaa no o Meŋa yiri, Akropong naŋ da be Twi District a  1899 poɔ. 

A yuoni  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 zaare aŋa toma ne o baare la a kiristo toma zaa a yuoni 1911 ka o da e yuomo  69.

## Yele Mine Pilaa  Toma
O neŋ  David Asante, aneŋ  Johann Gottlieb Christallerda lantaa sigi  Bible a gaa ne Twi teri. O la sigi la saadayele yɛlɛ a twi teri poɔ.Twi. 

## O Toma Mine
Opoku toma mine 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 yeni 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 bidɔɔ fara la , Samuel Opoku  ka o dɔge bebiri e  Gyɛnoɔre 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 baalong. A youni 1879, poɔ la ka o da la di pɔge kaŋa ba naŋ da bɔna Anna Mary Engmann,  a pɔge da e la Euro-African aneŋ  Ga karema. Aneŋ yɛlɛ ŋa da ba tuu sori ko a  Christiansborg, Osu a coast saŋa. Engmann da taa la asthma baalong 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 bizaara kaŋa ba naŋ da bɔŋa, Jacob Yaw Mose Owusu.    

## Kuuŋ Aneŋ Koɔre Maaloŋ
A yuoni 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 koɔre 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 poɔriŋ 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 Bare
A Gold Coast yelbangkorong ane pasare, Carl Christian Reindorf (1834 – 1917) manne la yele mine a  Basel missionaries naŋ da e a yuoni  1850 aneŋ 1875 poɔ. Theophilus Opoku's nyvoɔri toma mine la:*“ O waa na laŋtaa Nwini pɔɔrɔ , O waanɛɛ sakuuri gyamaa sakue nyaabo,  O leɛre la a mwine yelnoore a yie nasaale a gaa ne kombong tiri. O da leɛ la sakuuri biiri aneŋ kiristo biiri  gama a gaa neɛ kombong tiri.  O da la soŋ la kɔɔbo yele. Ba da la mɛɛ la mwine yiri ka kaakyiisiri  pasare*  *da e a nymbe dɛɛra a yuoni 1868 aneŋ a  1878 poɔ. A duoruu kyaare 1879 yeli ka: Revs. Alexander Clerk, Christian Reindorf ane Theophilus Opoku da neɛ pɔgebo a yie a kometee*   

## Saadayele

* Debrunner, H. W. (1967) *“A kiristo biiri yele naŋ pare a  Gaana paaloŋ poɔ.”,* Accra: Waterville de-eng yiri.
* Iheanacho, Maureen O. (2013).*Christianising a  Heathen Theophilus Opoku's Mission ane Minisare a yuomo pie ne anii sanga Gold Coast* Amara zaane CSL
* Iheanacho, Maureen O. (2014). "*Theophilus Opoku, Indigenous Paseta ane Missionary Theologian, 1842-1913*." Sub Saharan de-eng. 
** Iheanacho, Maureen O. (ed.) (2018). Yi gbebogiri ko *Salaga Theophilus Opoku's yelyaga kyaare Momentous sori tuubu (1877)* Dots Concept
** Keleku, H. K*.* (1965) *“David Asante ane Theophilus Opoku*,” Accra: Waterville de-eng yiri.

## Sommo  Yizie