The Orange Order first spread to Africa in the late 19th and early 20th centuries through British and Irish settlers, soldiers, and missionaries. Early lodges were established in several colonies, including Nigeria and South Africa, but the most enduring presence developed in Ghana and Togo, where national Grand Lodges continue to operate today. These bodies are known respectively as the Grand Orange Lodge of Ghana and the Grand Orange Lodge of Togo. [1] Both are formally recognized by the Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland, the worldwide governing authority of the Loyal Orange Institution. [2]
African lodges share the Order's traditional emphasis on Protestant Christian faith, fraternity, and loyalty to the principles associated with William III of Orange. Over time, they have become primarily locally led and locally composed, integrating West African cultural and religious contexts while maintaining historic links with the Irish and British Orange jurisdictions. Orange processions and church services are held annually to commemorate Orange events such as The Twelfth of July. [3]
In Africa, Orange activity centres on Christian evangelism, youth mentorship, and local philanthropy. Members interpret the legacy of William of Orange chiefly as a symbol of civil and religious liberty, rather than as a political or sectarian cause. [4]
In the 1830s, the Orange Free State was established by Boer settlers (Afrikaners of Dutch descent) who had moved inland from the Cape Colony during the Great Trek. [5]
The republic's name derived from the Orange River, itself named in honour of the Dutch royal House of Orange-Nassau. The same royal house inspired the name of the Orange Order, founded in Ireland in 1795 to commemorate William of Orange and Protestant constitutionalism. [6]
In the 1800s The presence of the Orange Order in West Africa dates back to the pre-World War I era, with the earliest lodges established in Sierra Leone and Nigeria. Early lodges were founded by British military personnel stationed in the region. [7] Others lodges were formed through British settlers in countries under the British Empire. [8]
The Empire acted as a pathway for the spread of Orangeism worldwide, leading to the creation of lodges in Asia (such as India) and the Middle East, including British Palestine. [9]
The earliest West African lodge was founded during the early Victorian period, in the mid-1800s, in Freetown, Sierra Leone, then a British Crown Colony. Freetown served as a hub for British and Irish military regiments, missionaries, and colonial administrators. [10]
The Grand Orange Lodge of Ireland later recognized Sierra Leone lodges as part of its overseas jurisdiction, making them among the earliest Orange networks outside the British Isles. [11]
The first Orange lodge in Nigeria was established in Lagos and was named Lagos Fine Blues, LOL No. 801. A woman's Orange lodge was also founded in Lagos — the first known in Africa. [12]
Membership soon included Nigerian converts and teachers associated with Anglican, Methodist, and Presbyterian missions, whose Protestant and pro-British values aligned with Orange principles.
European Orangemen established lodges in Lagos, Calabar, and Port Harcourt, where educated African Protestants were invited to join. [13]
By 1919, leadership in Nigeria had passed fully to Africans — the first Nigerian Grand Master was E. A. Ojo — and by the 1920s, lodge membership was entirely African.
While Nigeria's lodges faded during the 1960s, they laid the foundation for later Orange activity in Ghana and Togo.
The first Orange lodge in Togo, Defenders of Lome (Loyal Orange Lodge No. 867), was founded on 3 September 1915 by John Amate Atayi, a Togolese member who had previously been active in the Order in Lagos, Nigeria.
Atayi was initiated into the Lagos Fine Blues Lodge (No. 801) before returning to Togo, where he organized a new lodge following the British occupation of German Togoland during the First World War. The lodge was established under the authority of the Grand Orange Lodge of England and initially met at Charity House, 28 Adjale Street, Lomé.
In 1917, Ghanaian postal worker R. E. Sharlley learned about the Orange Order through The Orange Standard newspaper. He contacted the Grand Secretary in England, was referred to the Togo lodge, and after the war founded Ghana's first lodge, Pride of Keta, LOL 891. [14]
In 1918, the Grand Lodge of Ghana was established — the first national-level Orange governing body in Africa. [15]
That same year, a second lodge in Togo was formed, known as Palime Heroes, located in Palime, with Augustus G. de Souza as Worshipful Master and Clemence A. Lumor as Secretary. [16]
As in Nigeria, the Togolese lodges attracted educated Protestant locals, reflecting a pattern seen across West African provinces. [17]
Through the 1940s and 1950s, the Orange Order in Ghana and Togo grew significantly.
By the mid-20th century, there were about 25 active branches and more than 1,000 members across both countries.
Lodges often maintained links with Methodist and Evangelical Presbyterian congregations and celebrated Orange anniversaries with church services and processions, including the Twelfth of July celebrations. [18]
The Orange Order and other fraternal societies were banned following the 1981 coup led by Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, whose government denounced such fraternal organizations as “secret societies.” [19] [20]
Lodge temples were destroyed or confiscated, public parades were prohibited, and membership was barred for civil servants.
By the late 1980s, restrictions eased. Lodges began to meet again in churches and school halls, and parades resumed, though overall membership had fallen to about 300 by the early 1990s. [21]
By the 1990s, the Ghanaian Orange movement was led by Grand Master Cephas Yao Tay in Accra.
Other senior figures included Fred Gregorio de Souza (former Grand Master), a retired army major as Grand Treasurer, and an accountant as Deputy Grand Master. Tay attended numerous 12th of July parades in Belfast, strengthening ties with the wider Orange world. [22]
In 1994, Emmanuel Aboki Essien became the first African to serve as President of the Imperial Orange Council, the governing body of worldwide Orangeism. His leadership helped raise the profile of African Orange lodges within the international Order. [23]
In the 1990s, the Ghanaian Orange Order continued to rebuild following years of suppression. The Scottish Orange Order and other overseas jurisdictions provided financial and moral support, including funding for the construction of a new Orange temple in Accra to replace those destroyed during the 1981 coup.
During the same decade, Ghanaian representatives to the Imperial Orange Council proposed that the organization adopt the name “International Orange Council”, arguing that the term “Imperial” no longer reflected the modern, post-colonial nature of Orangeism in Africa and elsewhere. [24]
A revival of the Orange Order has been reported in parts of West Africa, particularly in Ghana and Togo.
According to research by Dr Rachel Naylor of the University of Ulster, around twenty lodges were active in the region in 2005. [25]
Ghanaian lodges are noted for their strong youth membership and for commemorating the Battle of the Boyne through church services and community parades. Members wear the traditional Orange regalia — sashes, chains, medals, and dark suits, though bowler hats are optional.
While their rituals and regalia resemble those of lodges in Northern Ireland, Dr Naylor observed that African branches place greater emphasis on spiritual fellowship and social support than on political identity. [26]
In 2015, Dennis Tette Tay, acting Grand Master of the Orange Order in Ghana, stated that “Orangeism is in his soul.” When talking about sectarianism, Grand Master Tay stated that the lodge has “no problem with Catholics” and focuses on faith, fraternity, and community values rather than Northern Irish political divisions. [27]
Ghana has one of the largest memberships of African Orangemen in the world. The Grand Orange Lodge of Ghana oversees local branches and organizes parades and commemorative events across the country.
Orangeism was introduced to Togo during the early 20th century. The first lodge, Defenders of Lome (Loyal Orange Lodge No. 867), was founded in September 1915 by John Amate Atayi, who had previously been active in the Order in neighbouring Nigeria. [28]
The lodge was formed shortly after the British occupation of German Togoland during the First World War and operated under the jurisdiction of the Grand Orange Lodge of England. Its early meetings were held at Charity House, 28 Adjale Street, Lomé. [29]
In the early 1900s, the first Nigerian Orange Lodge was known as Lagos Fine Blues Loyal Orange Lodge. The first African women's Orange Lodge was also formed in Lagos. [30]
At its peak, the Orange Order had 26 lodges, but would dwindle in the 1960s due to the political shifts, in which South Africa would leave the British Commonwealth after a referendum in 1961. This made the values of Orangeism obsolete. The majority of lodges were based in Johannesburg. [31] The Grand Lodge was known as the Grand Lodge of South Africa.
In Sierra Leone, the first lodge in Africa was formed in the mid-1800s in Freetown.