On the Way to Whiteness

The spread of the Christian faith is often said to have marked the greatest change in twentieth-century Africa. Kari Miettinen's dissertation analyses the processes of this change in Ovamboland of northern Namibia, where it was initiated and guided by the Finnish missionaries. By using socio-historical approach this research presents an interesting analysis, which suggests that conversion to Christianity was often a multi-causal chain of events where the primary motives of the converts often were quite practical. The study brings out new information concerning the relationship between the Ovambo and the Finnish missionaries, and by so doing also particularises or corrects some of the earlier views on the social and cultural effects of Ovambo christianisation.