The Trans-Saharan Missions to Northern Nigeria
It is often assumed that the opening of the mission station in Shendam in 1907 was the first attempt to bring the Catholic faith to the region north of the rivers Niger and Benue. The purpose of this article is to draw attention to the earlier attempts to bring the Christian Gospel to the peoples of Northern Nigeria and from the north, crossing the Sahara Desert. It deals with two such journeys which are well documented, but little known until recently, when the research was carried out; and a possible third journey which is shrouded in controversy. It shows that the Sahara Desert does not constitute the natural barrier between the 'two Africas' that is sometimes portrayed.
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