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Harry Sawyerr

1909 – 1986

Sierra Leonean theologian

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About Harry Sawyerr

Lived 1909 – 1986 (aged 76). Harry Sawyerr was a Sierra Leonean theologian and missionary.

Harry Alphonso Ebun Sawyerr MBE (9 October 1909 – August 1986) was a Sierra Leonean Anglican theologian and writer on African religion. He became principal of Fourah Bay College and Vice Chancellor of the University of Sierra Leone.

Sawyerr studied initially at Fourah Bay College, later moving to England to study at the main campus of Durham University. He successively earned Bachelor of Arts (1933), Master of Arts (1936) and Master of Education (1940) degrees.

Works Creative Evangelism: towards a new Christian encounter with Africa, London: Lutterworth, 1968. God: Ancestor or Creator? Aspects of traditional belief in Ghana, Nigeria & Sierra Leone, London: Longmans, 1970 "The Earth-Goddess" in Founders of Religions: Christianity and Other Religions. Rome: Gregorian University Press, 1984. The Practice of Presence: Shorter Writings of Harry Sawyerr. Ed. John Parratt. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1996. "Sacrifice" in Biblical Revelation and African Beliefs. Ed. Kwesi Dickson and Paul Ellingworth, 57-82. London: Lutterworth Press, 1969. (with William Thomas Harris.) The Springs of Mende Belief and Conduct: a discussion of the influence of the belief in the supernatural among the Mende Freetown: Sierra Leone Univ. Press, 1968. "Traditions in Transit" in Religion in a Pluralistic Society, ed. J. S. Pobee, 85-96. Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1976.

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Important facts

Birth century
Nationality
Education
Durham University
Also known as
Harry Alphonso Ebun Sawyerr

People in Harry Sawyerr's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Harry Sawyerr's

Frequently asked questions

Who was Harry Sawyerr?

Sierra Leonean theologian (1909–1986)

When was Harry Sawyerr born?

Harry Sawyerr was born on 9 October 1909 in Freetown.

When did Harry Sawyerr die?

Harry Sawyerr died on 1 August 1986 in Freetown.

What was Harry Sawyerr's occupation?

Harry Sawyerr was a theologian and missionary.

What nationality was Harry Sawyerr?

Harry Sawyerr was Sierra Leonean.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Harry Sawyerr

· Wikidata: Q5672206

· DBpedia: Harry Sawyerr (theologian)

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Harry Sawyerr. https://biography.guide/harry-sawyerr/

MLA: "Harry Sawyerr." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/harry-sawyerr/.

Chicago: "Harry Sawyerr." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/harry-sawyerr/.

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