Edward Wilmot Blyden

**Edward Wilmot Blyden** (3 August 1832 – 7 February 1912) be Americo-Liberian educator, writer, diplomat plus politician wey dey active mostly for West Africa. He born for de Danish West Indies, den e join de group of Black pipol from de Americas wey migrate go Liberia. Blyden turn teacher for five years for de British West African colony of Sierra Leone for early twentieth century. Ein main writings dey talk pan-Africanism, wey later influence many places for West Africa, den attract attention for countries like de United States too. Ein ideas influence people like Marcus Garvey, George Padmore den Kwame Nkrumah.

Blyden bin get recognition early as young boy sake of ein talent plus strong drive. One American Protestant minister for Sankt Thomas, ein name be John P. Knox, educate am plus mentor am, den encourage am make e continue ein education for de United States. But for 1850, dem refuse Blyden admission enter three Northern theological seminaries sake of ein race. Knox then tell am make e go Liberia, wey be colony wey de American Colonization Society set up for free pipol of color. So Blyden migrate go Liberia for 1850, wey be where e build ein life den career. E marry into big family den start work as journalist. Blyden ein ideas still get influence till today.

## Early life den education
Blyden born on 3 August 1832 for Saint Thomas, Danish West Indies (now American Virgin Islands), to free black parents wey demma ancestry come from de Igbo pipol for present-day Nigeria. Ein family live for English-speaking Jewish area. Between 1842 den 1845, de family move go Porto Bello for Venezuela, where Blyden discover say e get talent for languages, wey make am learn Spanish fluent.

According to historian Hollis R. Lynch, for 1845, Blyden meet Reverend John P. Knox, one white American wey come be pastor for St. Thomas Protestant Dutch Reformed Church. Blyden ein family dey live near de church, den Knox see say de boy dey serious plus sharp. Knox then take am as ein mentee, encourage Blyden ein big talent for public talk den literature. Because of how close e be to Knox, Blyden choose say e go become minister, wey ein parents support am.

Insyd May 1850, Blyden travel go United States plus Reverend Knox ein wife, go try enter Rutgers Theological College, wey be Knox ein old school. But dem no gree take am because of ein race. Dem try put am for two more theological colleges but dem still reject am. Knox then tell am make e go Liberia, de colony wey American Colonization Society (ACS) build for West Africa for de 1830s, say there e go fit use ein talents. So for late 1850, Blyden enter ship go Liberia. One year after, Blyden enter Alexander High School for Monrovia, wey e take study theology, classics, geography, mathematics, plus Hebrew for ein own free time. E even dey act as principal when need rise, den for 1858, dem make am de official principal for Alexander High School. Dat same year, dem ordain am as Presbyterian minister.

Starting insyd 1860, Blyden start to write letters go William Ewart Gladstone, wey later turn big Liberal leader plus Prime Minister for United Kingdom. Insyd 1861, Gladstone give Blyden chance make e come study for England, but Blyden turn am down because of ein responsibilities for Liberia.

## Marriage, family den legacy
Blyden marry Sarah Yates, one Americo-Liberian woman from de well-known Yates family. She be de daughter of Hilary Yates plus ein wife. Sarah ein uncle, Beverly Page Yates, serve as vice-president for Liberia from 1856 go 1860 under President Stephen Allen Benson. Blyden plus Sarah born three children together.

Later, as Blyden dey live for some years insyd Freetown, Sierra Leone, e enter long-time relationship plus Anna Erskine, one Liberian woman from Clay-Ashland wey move go Freetown for 1877. She be granddaughter of James Spriggs-Payne, wey twice win de presidency insyd Liberia. Blyden plus Erskine born five children together. Insyd dis 21st century, plenty of Blyden ein descendants wey dey live insyd Sierra Leone dey see demselves as part of de Creole population. One of dem be Sylvia Blyden, publisher for de *Awareness Times*.

Blyden die on 7 February 1912 for Freetown, Sierra Leone, wey be de same place dem bury am for Racecourse Cemetery. To honour am, de 20th-century Pan-Africanist George Padmore give ein daughter de name Blyden.

## Career
Right after e move go Liberia for 1850, Blyden start to do journalism work. E start as correspondent for *Liberia Herald* (wey be de only newspaper for Liberia dat time) den dem make am editor from 1855 to 1856. Na dat same period wey e write ein first pamphlet, *A Voice From Bleeding Africa*. E sana spend time for British colonies for West Africa, especially Nigeria den Sierra Leone, where e write for early newspapers inside both colonies. For Sierra Leone, e start and edit *The Negro* newspaper for early 1870s. E still keep close link plus de American Colonization Society and e publish inside demma *African Repository and Colonial Journal*.

Insyd 1861, Blyden become professor for Greek den Latin for Liberia College. Dem later choose am as president of de college, and e serve from 1880 go 1884 during one time wey de school dey expand.

As diplomat, Blyden serve as ambassador for Liberia go Britain den France. E sana travel go United States, where e talk give big black churches about de work e dey do for Africa. Blyden believe say Black Americans fit end de racial discrimination dem dey suffer if dem return go Africa come help develop am. But plenty African Americans criticize am, as dem want make dem get full civil rights for de United States, de land wey dem born dem, and dem no dey see demself as African.

As Blyden suggest say African Americans get one redemptive role for Africa through wetin e call Ethiopianism, e compare demma suffering for diaspora to de one wey de Jews go through; e support de 19th-century Zionist project wey talk say make Jews return go Palestine. For dem book *Israel insyd de Black American Perspective*, Robert G. Weisbord den Richard Kazarian write say for ein booklet *The Jewish Question* (wey dem publish for 1898, just one year after de First Zionist Congress), Blyden describe say when e dey travel for Middle East for 1866, e want go "de original home of de Jews–make e see Jerusalem plus Mt. Zion, de joy of de whole earth". As e reach Jerusalem, e go visit de Western Wall. Blyden support Jewish people make dem go settle for Palestine den e criticize Jews say dem no dey take advantage of de chance to live for dem ancient homeland. Blyden know Theodor Herzl plus ein book *The Jewish State*, and e praise am say de ideas wey dey inside de book "give big push to de real work of de Jews wey go get serious impact for dem future history".

Later insyd ein life, Blyden start get interest for Islam and e come conclude say Islam be religion wey be more "African" pass Christianity for African Americans plus Americo-Liberians.

As e dey take part for de development of Liberia, Blyden serve as Secretary of State under President Daniel Bashiel Warner from 1864 go 1865. Later on, e serve as Secretary of de Interior under President Anthony W. Gardiner from 1880 go 1882. Blyden contest de 1885 presidential election under de Republican Party but e lose give de True Whig incumbent Hilary R. W. Johnson.

From 1901 reach 1906, Blyden be de one wey direct education for Sierra Leonean Muslims for one institution insyd Sierra Leone, wey be de time e dey live for Freetown. Na during dis period e start ein relationship plus Anna Erskine; dem get five children together. E come grow deep interest for Islam during dis time, den e recommend am give African Americans as de religion wey fit well well wit demma historical roots for Africa.

## Writings
As writer, some people dey see Blyden as de "father of Pan-Africanism" den dem dey note say na one of de first people wey talk about de idea of "African Personality" plus de uniqueness of de "African race". Ein ideas influence plenty twentieth-century figures like Marcus Garvey, George Padmore den Kwame Nkrumah. Ein main book, *Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race* (1887), promote de idea say make Africans practice Islam sake of say e go bring dem more unity plus fulfilment pass Christianity. Blyden believe say Christianity dey break down de morale of Africans, even though e still remain Christian. E think say Islam be more truly African, as na people from North Africa carry am come Sub-Saharan regions.

Ein book fast fast become controversial. At first, plenty people no believe say na African write am; some people challenge ein support for Islam. For later editions, Blyden put ein picture for de front part of de book.

Ein book contain de following:"Make we commot de feeling of Race. Make we commot our African personality den make we get lost, if e possible, insyd anoda Race." Dis one wise or philosophical pass say make we commot gravitation, heat den cold, sunshine den rain. Of course, de Race wey dem people wan blend insyd be de one wey get power pass, wey dem dey bow down to am, dey surrender demma self shamefully den dey admire am like dem no get sense.Because of how Blyden believe insyd Ethiopianism plus say African Americans fit go back Africa go help rebuild de continent, e see Zionism as model wey people for look up to, den e support make dem create Jewish state for Israel. E praise Theodor Herzl as de man wey start "dat wonderful movement wey dem dey call Zionism". Herzl die for 1908, wey be like 44 years before de 1948 Arab–Israeli War.
## Works
### Books

* , New York: John A. Gray, 1862.
* ''Christianity, Islam and the Negro Race'', London, W. B. Whittingham & Co., 1887; 2nd edition 1888; University of Edinburgh Press, 3rd edition, 1967; reprint of 1888 edition, Baltimore, Maryland: Black Classic Press, 1994 (edition on Googlebooks).
* , London: C. M. Phillips, 1908; reprint Baltimore, Maryland: Black Classic Press, 1994.
* , London: C. M. Phillips, 1905.

### Essays and speeches

* "Africa for the Africans", *African Repository and Colonial Journal*, Washington, DC: January 1872.
* "The Call of Providence to the Descendants of Africa in America", A Discourse Delivered to Coloured Congregations in the Cities of New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, Harrisburg, during the Summer of 1862, in *Liberia's Offering: Being Addresses, Sermons, etc.*, New York: John A. Gray, 1862.
* "The Elements of Permanent Influence", Discourse Delivered at the 15th St. Presbyterian Church, Washington, DC, Sunday, 16 February 1890, Washington, DC: R. L. Pendleton (published by request), 1890 (hosted on Virtual Museum of Edward W. Blyden).
* "Liberia as a Means, Not an End", Liberian Independence Oration: 26 July 1867; *African Repository and Colonial Journal*, Washington, DC: November 1867.
* "The Negro in Ancient History, Liberia: Past, Present, and Future", *Methodist Quarterly Review*, Washington, DC: M'Gill & Witherow Printer.
* "The Origin and Purpose of African Colonization", A Discourse Delivered at the 66th Anniversary of the American Colonization Society, Washington, DC, 14 January 1883, Washington, 1883.
* E. W. Blyden M.A., *Report on the Falaba Expedition 1872*, Addressed to His Excellency Governor J. Pope Hennessy, C.M.G., Published by authority Freetown, Sierra Leone. Printed at Government Office, 1872.
* "Liberia at the American Centennial", *Methodist Quarterly Review*, July 1877.
* "America in Africa," *Christian Advocate* I, 28 July 1898, II, 4 August 1898.
* "The Negro in the United States", *A.M.E. Church Review*, January 1900.

## References


## External links

*Works by Edward Wilmot Blyden at Open Library
*''African Repository and Colonial Journal'', Internet Archive, issues online