Mission to Kilimanjaro
The Founding History of a Catholic Mission in East Africa
Translated by Adrian Edwards
Edited by James Chukwuma Okoye
Foreword by John Fogarty
Imprint: Wipf and Stock
Archbishop Alexandre Le Roy was among the founders of the Catholic faith in Zanzibar and Tanzania. He became the fifteenth superior general of the missionary Congregation of the Holy Spirit (1896-1926). Not only was he fluent in Swahili, he was also a botanist and an anthropologist, as evidenced by the thick descriptions of the flora and fauna and the language, culture, and religion of the peoples he encountered. He has written a fascinating account of the beginnings of the faith in that part of the world, clearly delineating, in many cases, qualities disposing to faith and practices that hindered it. This competent account of African society, politics, and religion before the advent of Western civilization is a classic, invaluable for students of mission and African history, culture, and religion.
Alexandre Le Roy was among the founders of the Catholic faith in Zanzibar and Tanzania. He was the author of the famed The Religion of the Primitives, published in 1922.
“Alexandre Le Roy was a towering figure in missionary history. His insights, wit, expertise, eye for detail, and narrative fluency provide the kind of information, analysis, and wisdom that will captivate and maybe transform the reader’s understanding of missionaries, mission, and the human encounter with ‘otherness.’”
—Anthony J. Gittins, CSSP, Emeritus Professor of Theology and Culture, Catholic Theological Union
“An epic missionary adventure skillfully written by a towering French prelate and pioneer anthropologist. . . . The underlying multidisciplinary approach to mission and culture as well as the pervasive sense of humor make the book both invaluable and timeless.”
—Florentine Mallya, The Generalate, Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Rome, Italy
“Mission to Kilimanjaro is a must read for any serious scholar interested not only with the beginnings of Christianity in East Africa but also the people and culture. Le Roy had an eagle eye which captured everything around him during the arduous expedition. . . . Le Roy is simply a genius. A tremendous read. I couldn’t put it down.”
—Philip Massawe, CSSP, Provincial Superior, Province of Tanzania
“Msgr. Le Roy has in this book provided the reader with a gold mine of firsthand information about life in East Africa in the late nineteenth century. He is a gifted storyteller; he fills the book with little gems about characters, events, things, and places that are, well, priceless! The book reads like a journal, a travelogue, and a novel all in one. Once picked up, it is difficult to put down.”
—Charles Ebelebe, CSSP, Senior Lecturer and Academic Dean, Spiritan International School of Theology, Enugu, Nigeria
“Fascinating narrative, picturesque description of Kilimanjaro, ‘House of God!’ Profoundly attentive to fauna and flora. Le Roy as counselor, statistician, shaman, and linguist-preacher draws the reader into the ‘vast amphitheater,’ ‘an exhibition of a very wide variety of the plants which the Creator has shown on earth.’”
—Elochukwu E. Uzukwu, Professor of Theology, Duquesne University
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