Social Work and the 'Missionary Zeal to Whip the Heathen Along the Path of Righteousness'

Correspondence to Amon Bar-On, Department of Social Work, University of Botswana, Private Bag 0022, Gaborone, Botswana. Summary Ever since Western forms of social work were first importedto Africa, a serious debate has been raging on whether theyfit the African context Most of this debate has concentrated,however, on the techniques of Western social work as opposedto the ends to which they are put, which, being underpinnedby Western values, are essentially alien to African culture.Applying Western social work in Africa can be viewed, therefore,as continuing the work of the missionaries who sought to remakeAfricans in their own image. Following a summary of the argumentswhy Africa might require a form of social work of its own, thisarticle explores the chances of such indigenization and concludesthat it might be nigh impossible unless research involving reflectivelearning by African social workers with their clients is placedat the centre of social work practice.