Arrival at Old Town (1880)
Slessor arrived at Old Town in 1880. The first sight that met her was a human skull hung on a pole at the entrance of the town. The people at Old Town and the smaller neighbouring stations of Qua, Akim, and Ikot Ansa “were amongst the most degraded in Calabar.” She immediately threw herself into work. Churches were planted, and within a short time about 100 people were part of the congregation at Qua.
In 1886, she moved to Creek Town where she laboured until 1888. While appreciating the work in the already established missions, her heart kept reaching out for distant lands. She “burned with a desire to champion the lesser tribes and to free them from the greed and cruelty of the headman of Calabar.”
The Call to Okoyong
Slessor is best remembered for her work among the Okoyong tribe, which earned her the title “White Queen of Okoyong.” She had continuously pressed the local mission committee to be sent to these people, and her request was granted in 1886. However, it was not until 1888 that she moved to Okoyong.
The Okoyong people were regarded as one of the most savage tribes in the region. They were feared everywhere, and it was shocking that Slessor strongly desired to reach them. While preparing for the move to Okoyong, she remarked:
“I am going to a new tribe up-country, a fierce, cruel people, and everyone tells me that they will kill me. But I don’t fear any hurt—only to combat their savage customs will require courage and firmness on my part.”
At her departure, one young man told her, “I will constantly pray for you, but you are courting death.”
Courage and Confrontation at Ekenge
She first settled at Ekenge, and immediately began challenging the customs that debased their humanity. The leaders of the tribe were first surprised at her courage but concluded that it was only a matter of time before she would be humbled by their terrible ways.
However, this indomitable woman proved herself repeatedly. “With a courage that seemed reckless,” as her biographer put it, she once stood in front of an armed militia on its way to wreck carnage in a neighbouring village. She tried to restrain them, but, frantic with fright, they eluded her grasp and ran shrieking toward the town they intended to destroy.
She ran after them, praying for swiftness and strength. She passed them one by one and breathlessly threw herself into the middle of the path, daring them to advance. Trusting the God who had never failed her, she succeeded in stopping them.
“They stopped, protested, argued, and gradually their hot anger, resentment and fear died down, and eventually they retraced their steps.”
This act of courage astonished the locals—they had never seen anyone, especially a woman or foreigner, act with such fearless resolve.
Her Simple Lifestyle and Identification with the People
Mary Slessor’s identification with the people’s lifestyle was remarkable. She lived as they lived and adopted their ways without fear for her health.
She never used mosquito netting, which was then considered indispensable in the tropics. She never wore a hat despite the intense sun, cut her hair short, and went barefoot everywhere. She neither boiled nor filtered her drinking water and ate whatever local food was served, without concern for European standards of hygiene or order.
Her willingness to adapt won the hearts of the people and made her ministry among them effective.
Opening Trade and Reforming Okoyong
Another remarkable success she recorded with the Okoyong tribes was the opening of trade with Calabar. Before then, the Okoyong people spent their lives drinking and fighting. Their wild habits were worsened by the gin and rum that flowed into the country. It was so bad that raw gin was “poured into the mouths of babies,” and toddlers “of a few years were given gin so that their foolish antics might amuse the village.”
To change this, Slessor appealed to native traders in Calabar to bring articles of trade so her people might have something other than strong drink to buy. When the traders refused because of the Okoyongs’ lawlessness, she persuaded King Eyo VII of Creek Town to invite the chiefs of Okoyong to a meeting.
The Breakthrough and New Spirit of Industry
The warm reception given to the Okoyong chiefs by King Eyo—whom they had always regarded as an enemy—left a deep impression on them. From that time, trade with Calabar was opened up. The people now had a market for their kernels and oil, and European goods flowed back to Okoyong.
This new spirit of enterprise left them less time and opportunity for drinking and fighting. The chiefs began to come to Slessor for advice in all their affairs.
Expansion to Itu and Legacy (1903–1904)
In 1903, Slessor advanced to Itu, which had been used by the Aros as their chief slave market. There she built a church and a school. In July 1904, she and her household settled there permanently.
Her fearless dedication, sacrificial lifestyle, and deep compassion for the oppressed transformed entire regions of Calabar and left a legacy that earned her a place among the most courageous missionaries in history.
Date: 19th July 2022
Title: MARY SLESSOR -God Visits Akwa Ibom, Cross River State. (Circa 1880-1904)
Source: A Heritage of Faith: A History of Christianity in Nigeria
Author: Ayodeji Abodunde
