Le site presbytérien d’Elat : approche comparée entre la gestion des missionnaires américains et celle des pasteurs camerounais 1895 -2018

Abstract

The American Presbyterians, after their forced departure from Gabon, were officially accepted in Cameroon following the agreement with imperial Governor Julius Von Soden in Buéa on 05 April 1889. During Dr. Good’s many explorations, he laid the foundations of the future Presbyterian site on a hill, which he had acquired from chief Mvondo Ntimbane. After a year, the American Presbyterians were expelled by the German army for strategic reasons. What changes did the American Presbyterians site at Elat under the american presbyterians under the Eglise Presbytérienne Camerounaise undergo? Answering this central question led us to use several collection and analysis tools drawn from both primary and secondary sources, which opened the door to both a qualitative and quantitative approach. The methodological approach that underpins this thesis combines several approaches: synchronic, hypothetico-deductive, diachronic and multidisciplinary. In order to better define this research, three theories we used: constructivism, functionalism and comparatisim. On the basis of these methodological grids, as well as this wealth of data, it appears that the American Presbyterians sowed some of the seeds of the dilapidation of the Presbyterian site of Elat through their bad faith in training black pastors and cutting off the source of subsidies. But the fact remains that Camerounian pastors have not been able to contextualise the statutes left by the Americans and complete their training to the extent of the heritage they have acquired. In view of its current state, it is clear that the management of the Elat site underwent a progressive breakdown after the departure of the American Presbyterian missionaries, and has now become an anti-development site for the town of Ebolowa.